What Does It Take
by the-sarcastic-cynic
Summary: Sayomi Ikeda has always been a little "rough around the edges". Her only friends are Haruhi Fujioka, her fellow yazuka members, and her cousin Ritsu Kasanoda. When her aunt pays for her to enter Ouran Academy with Ritsu, however, she meets new people, and gets to know familiar faces. Will they unravel her shrouded history? OC/Kaoru, maybe others. The story will be better than this.
1. Chapter 1

Hey! So I literally JUST finished the series, and now my life feels empty, so I have turned to fanfiction. Writing it. If I have any details wrong, please feel free to let me know in the comments. As long as you're polite about it, I won't mind (I'll probably be grateful). So, if you don't like it, don't read it, blah blah blah, the usual.

Disclaimer: I only own any OCs I create. All other characters, places, etc are the original creators.

* * *

Well.

This is it.

I slowly rise from the mat I sleep on, twisting to stretch out my back. I check my watch. 4:25. I relax, as this means my father isn't up yet. He never is this early, which is why I make a point to leave the house beforehand. I've memorized his schedule to avoid seeing him at home. It's never turns out well when he catches me. Besides, I have a lot to do on my last day of freedom. The last day before my year at Ouran Academy start.

It's still a funny thought. Me, a scraggly street kid, at a preppy rich-kid school like that. My father was against it. "A waste of money on a stupid kid like you," he had said. But my aunt (his sister) wouldn't have any of that. She promised to cover tuition, as long as I could come up with the money for the extra things, which I might be able to. I told her yes. She wasn't sending me out of love, or pity. Her son, Ritsu Kasanoda (my cousin) had a hard time making friends, and she wanted him to be more comfortable in school. We were always pretty close, as we were both in yakuzas that had an understanding with each other. Though we were the same age, he had taken over my older brother's role as my protector. My older brother… wasn't around anymore.

I shake my head. I refuse to even start thinking about that. I quickly slip into some shredded skinny jeans, a black shirt, and some boots. I throw my extraordinarily long hair (yakuza rule: girls wear hair long) into a ponytail, and braid it. My hair's red, like Ritsu's, except with black streaks through it (like my brother's was). I tied a black bandana around my head, then strode into our dingy kitchen. Pulling some bread out of the pantry, I put it in my bag, and head out.

We live in half-slums. It wasn't that bad, as long as people respected you. And people did respect me. I was a well-known fighter, taught by many others in martial arts, and had grown strong from fight clubs. Everyone I pass either nods at me, or looks in the other direction. Me and Ritsu share a menacing look, though mine isn't half as severe as his. I suddenly turn into an alley, and knock on the door. It opens a bit, a man peeking through, and then is fully opened

"Sayomi!" he says with a smile. I grin back.

"Hey Hiroki, I just came to pick up my guitar," I say. Hiroki is like our yakuza advisor, I guess. Basically if any of us get in trouble, we go to him. He lets me keep some of my more valuable stuff at his place. I step inside. I've always loved this place. Even though it's location was less than cozy, the inside sure was. I go into his back room, where he kept my stuff. I only keep my instruments here, and some of my mom's old stuff. I play drums, guitar, bass, piano, and violin. My mother used to teach music. I guess I inherited her talent, along with the instruments.

"You're always welcome to stay here if you'd like," Hiroki says, leaning in the doorway. I grab my case and shake my head as I walk out past him.

"I can't do that to you and Kaede. I can't be a burden. Besides, it's getting better," I lie through my teeth. I don't want to be a burden, but my dad isn't improving. Hiroki shakes his head at me.

"Fine. My door's always open though. Tell Haruhi I say hi," he says as I walk out the door.

"How do you know I'm stopping there?" I turn and ask. He smiles.

"You have yet to tell her you're going to attend her fancy prep school with her," he says as he shuts the door. I smile as I walk down the street. I know I'm lucky to have a friend like Hiroki around.

* * *

I knock on the apartment door. The landlady was giving me a suspicious look, and I wanted to get inside. A girl with short brown hair opens the door.

"Sayo!" she exclaims, giving me a surprised look. I give her a smile.

"Hey Haruhi. I just wanted to stop by to tell you something," I say, trying not to burst with excitement. She lets me in, and we sit down in the kitchen.

"So, what'd you come over to tell me? Not to be rude, you just seem pretty anxious. You're foot's twitching," she says, glancing down at it. I immediately stop it.

"You know how my aunt's obnoxiously rich?" I say with a laugh. Haruhi nods with a smile.

"Yeah, she'd always stop by to see you in that ridiculous fur coat," she says, and we laugh at the memory.

"Well, her son Ritsu is going to Ouran, and since he's had trouble making friends, she's paying my tuition to get in!" I say. Haruhi's mouth drops open, and her eyes light up.

"You're going to Ouran? Wait, have you even taken the entrance exam?" she asks me, concern washing away the excitement that had appeared on her face.

"Yeah, I was able to pass. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," I say with a shrug. Haruhi smiles.

"That's great. Now at least I'll know someone there," she says. I pretend to look offended.

"Just know? Haruhi, I'm one of your closest friends! I am hurt!" I say, dramatically placing a hand on my forehead. She rolls her eyes at me.

"You know what I meant. Now you should probably go, as it seems you're going to work today," she says with a little frown. I sigh.

"You know this is one of my only options. Anyone hiring won't hire me. They know my reputation," I shrug, not really caring. She shakes her head as I walk out the door.

"Be safe," she calls out.

"Tell Ranka I say hi," I respond, and quickly head down the way to my favorite street corner. It's fairly busy, with a mix of people walking by. I pull out my guitar, sit down on the case, and put out my jar. I decide to start with a love song. Everyone enjoys those.

_I woke up_

_In the middle of the night_

_Out of luck_

_With this girl on my mind_

_She got away now_

_I'm trying to explain how_

_I fell in love_

_That's what I like to call it_

_But not enough_

_It's like I never saw it_

_Drifting away I am_

_Finding words to say_

_But it all goes_

I strum through the short instrumental bit, singing the "whoas" until I get to the chorus. I hear the occasional clink in my jar as people walk by. I look up for a second, and two twin boys are standing there, watching me. Their expressions reflect interest, though the one on the right's has a certain haughty quality to it. The one on the left is a little more cheerful. I break into the chorus

_What does it take to get you_

_If I never met you_

_I wouldn't have ran across the country_

_Like I'm out of my mind_

_What does it take to hold you_

_When I'm here without you_

_I don't know where to start_

_I have to find you and your heart_

_Before it falls apart*_

I play through the rest of the song. I have played it so many times it's nearly automatic, which gives me time to think about these two twins who are still here. They're arguing

"Kaoru, let's go, this is boring,"

"No, I like it, we never hear stuff like this in our neighborhood,"

"Fine. But that's because we don't have these commoners in our neighborhood,"

I nearly stop to punch him, but then I remember that they might pay me if I play well. I finish the song, and the one on the left, Kaoru, I'm guessing, starts clapping. Hikaru just rolls his eyes at me.

"That was really good! You're quite talented," he says, dropping some coins into my jar. I smile at him.

"Thank you, Kaoru-san. I couldn't help but overhear your name," I say. He scratches the back of his head, blushing.

"Sorry about Hikaru. He isn't much of a music person. Now that you know my name, why don't you tell me yours?" Kaoru asks me. Hikaru just raises an eyebrow.

"I'm Sayomi," I say. He nods, but his brother tugs on his sleeve.

"Let's goooo," he whines. Kaoru rolls his eyes.

"I'll have to get going. Maybe we'll see each other again," he says a he walks away. He seemed nice enough. I don't think I would get along with his brother very well though. Oh well. He looked rich, so I probably won't see him. Whatever.

I play through a few more songs, and the change I get builds. By the end of the day, I have enough to buy food for the week.I did well today.

It's getting late, so I head to Hiroki's, drop off my guitar, and head home. The twins from earlier pop back into my head. The nice one was decent to me. I wish I would see him again. All the guys in the gang or at the clubs are brawny and dumb. I need someone with a little more substance.

* * *

I turn the doorknob to our shack to find it open. Shit. My father's home early. I creep through the doorway and quietly shut it. If I'm quiet enough, maybe I won't distur-

"Sayomi!" I wince, knowing what's waiting for me. I walk into the kitchen. My father's leaning against the counter, his predatory eyes boring into my skull. I put on a tough face. Maybe he'll leave me alone tonight.

"Hi, father," I say without emotion, heading to the doorway to my bedroom. I feel him grab me by the collar of my shirt.

"Where were you today?" he asks me, grabbing my neck and turning me around. I look him in the eye.

"Making money so we can eat," I reply with a snarl. Wrong move. He socks me in the jaw. Unprepared, I fall to the floor. I can taste blood in my mouth.

"Don't give me that smartass attitude, you dumb bitch!" he yells at me. He pulls the jar out of my bag, and counts out the money.

"What, were you sluttin' around today? You made quite the cash," he says. The closest I'll ever get to praise. I get up.

"No, same as always. Music," I say, retreating back to my bedroom door. Before I pull it open, he grabs my arms from behind me.

"Good, more for me," he growls, tightening his grip. I internally grimace as he pulls me towards his room. I was hoping I'd be fresh for the first day of school, but I guess my father won't let that happen. _Four more years, and I can leave this dump_ I think, as I'm thrown on the bed, and my father starts pulling off my jeans.

* * *

So yeah. It got dark there. Sorry if the twins seem OOC, I just wanted to establish Sayomi's connection to Kaoru. Hopefully I can get better about that. If I have any inaccuracies with the Japanese form of honorifics in future chapters or with names, just let me know so I can change them. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.

*The song is "What Does It Take" by Dave Days. All rights go to him and whoever helped produce the song, I do not own it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. Sorry if this one sucks. I'm tired and my English teacher is being a pain in the ass**

**Disclaimer: Only own my OCs. All other characters belong to the creators of the manga/anime**

* * *

I get up early again, around 4:30. I returned to my cot after my father had… finished with me. No one knew about that. My aunt had her suspicions, but she didn't really care about me, so she never prodded. I don't mind it anymore. It used to really bother me when I was younger, but now I know better than to tell people. No one believes me, and then he just makes it worse for me. That contributed to how my mother had passed.

I stop dwelling on it. Wouldn't want to put myself in a bad mood for all the rich brats I'm going to have to meet.

I shower under the cold water surprisingly quickly. My hair, which falls down a bit past my butt, took shorter to wash than I thought. Quickly drying myself, I decide what to wear. I couldn't afford a school uniform, as it was ridiculously expensive, and I didn't want to look like a pastry anyways. I decide to just throw on my nicest pair of jeans, a red plaid button-down shirt that was just a little big on me (it was one of Ritsu's old ones I had borrowed and never given back). I put on a not-so-muddy pair of black boots, and my mom's charm bracelet. I could use a little luck today. Grabbing my bag, I pull out some of the money I had been saving for this school year, and put it in, along with my sketchbook and pencils. I take a look at myself in the mirror. I had my father's face, my mom's grey eyes, and my brother's hair, which was in its usual ponytail and braid. I hope they don't make me dye it only one color. I notice that the phoenix head tattoo on my collar bone- the yakuza insignia- was showing, and I quickly buttoned up the shirt more to hide it. Looking again, I decide to tuck it in. I wanted to stay with Haruhi and Ritsu. I needed to at least kind of look the part.

Quietly slipping outside as to not wake my dad, I walk through the dewy morning air, and decide to take the long route to school, so I could walk with Ritsu. As I stride into the richer part of town, I get bad looks from those on their morning jog. Ignoring them, I focus ahead, until I see a figure with bright red hair in the distance.

"Ritsu-kun!" I shout as I sprint to catch up with him. He turns, and a crooked smile appears on his face. Ritsu waits a few moments for me to catch up.

"Hey, Sayo-chan, long time no see," he says, rubbing my head. I give him a mock-angry look.

"Just because I'm shorter than you doesn't give you the right to pat me on the head like a dog," I say, punching his arm jokingly. He laughs at me.

"Whatever, Sayo," Ritsu replies, punching me back. I wince. He had hit me where my dad had grabbed me last night, and there was still a bruise. I try to cover it up, but he notices too quickly.

"You okay, Omi?" he asks me in a concerned way. He only calls me that when he's worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bruise from a fight," I say with a smile. He shakes his head and laughs softly.

"I still wish you would stop fighting. I don't need you getting hurt." I roll my eyes

"It's not like I'm going to lose. All those jackasses are so smug they don't expect anything from me. I catch them off-guard," I say. It was true. Because I'm a girl, no one goes all-out on me. It's a bit degrading, but at least I'm making money. Ritsu playfully rolls his eyes at me.

"Fine. You're tough, I know. I surrender," he says. I give him a smile of triumph, but it quickly turns into an expression of awe. We've reached the school.

"Welcome to Ouran, home of the obnoxiously rich and extremely snobby," Ritsu says sarcastically as we walk through the gate. All around me, kids are talking to each other, catching up, but when they see us walk in, everything quiets down to a murmur.

"Who's that girl?"

"She's not in uniform, she must be a commoner,"

"Is that Kasanoda she's walking with? Wow, looks like the freak made a friend,"

"She's pretty hot, I'd totally bang her," Two boys were talking a little too loudly. I caught their last two comments, and before Ritsu could hold me back, I marched straight up to them.

"What was that?" I say through gritted teeth. The one on the left smirked.

"You free tonight, babe?" He reaches around me, but before he can touch me I've thrown him to the ground, my knee on his chest, and my hand against his throat. The courtyard goes silent. His buddy runs away, and he looks at me, panicked.

"I'm sorry, please, don't hur-"

"If you EVER make a comment like that again towards me or another girl, I swear I'll make sure you have nothing to 'bang' with," I say. He nods, eyes wide open. I get off of him, and he runs away as I return to Ritsu.

"You're going to get in trouble if you act that way in class, you know," he says as we continue into the school. I shrug.

"He shouldn't be sexually harassing me," I say. "Besides, they were insulting you too," I add, still angry about that. He rolls his eyes.

"I don't care anymore. They can make those comments all they want. They don't know me," he mutters. I'm about to respond, but I hear my name being called.

"Sayo! Wait up!" We turn to see Haruhi chasing after us. She's in a baggy brown sweater, with her glasses on.

"Hey Haru-chan," I say once she's caught up.

"Hey. I saw what happened out there. You should be more careful, someone might report you," she says. I shrug. Despite that she was a little worrisome, she was still my best friend. Besides, it was nice having someone worry.

"Don't stress out, he was harassing me. I had every right," I say. "Oh, I forgot. This is Ritsu Kasanoda, my cousin," I say. He reaches out his hand and tries to smile, albeit awkwardly. He's never had it easy making new friends.

"It's a p-pleasure to meet you, Haruhi-san," he says. Haruhi smiles and shakes his hand.

"Same, Kasanoda-san," she says with a smile. We walk together to our classroom, as Haruhi gets to know Ritsu better. It surprises me that he becomes comfortable around her so quickly. Normally he's just too awkward to get to know people, but Haruhi's nature seems to reassure him. I guess she's always been that way. She's great at reading people. She's one of the only ones able to read me.

We finally arrive at classroom. I take a deep breath.

"Alright men, this is it. We must brave this sea of brats, and preserve our rebel ways!" I shout with a fist pump. Haruhi tilts her head to the side.

"It's school, not a battle, Sayo," she says, walking in ahead of me. Ritsu just laughs and pats me on the head.

"Alright kiddo, let's brave the storm," he says, and we walk in together. As soon as the kids notice us, they start to whisper. Like it does them any good. I can still hear what they're saying.

"That's her! The one who beat up Haya!" whispers one girl to her friend, who gives me a wide-eyed look. I narrow my eyes at her, and she quickly looks away.

"I'll bet she's in a gang. It's all in how she walks," says another boy.

"I'll bet she's the runt. There's no way she's that tough." Ritsu heard this one. I can tell because he lunges at the kid, but I grab his coat.

"Let it go. They can think what they think," I say. He narrows his eyes at them, and they shirk away.

We sit in the back, Ritsu on one side of Haruhi, and I on the other. We were just talking about what the year will be like until I hear my name.

"Sayomi?" I turn from Haruhi and face the boy from yesterday. Kaoru and his brother. He's giving me a confused look. I definitely didn't see this one coming.

"Hey, Kaoru-chan, Hikaru-chan. I didn't expect to see you here," I say. They look at each other, and then back at me.

"We didn't expect to see you here either," they say in unison.

"Aren't you a commoner? Can you even afford to go here?" Hikaru asks. I resist the urge to punch him. Before I can reply, a hand lands on my shoulder.

"Who're these guys, Sayo?" Ritsu asks me stiffly. I look up at him.

"It's cool, Ritsu, I know these guys." He nods, but doesn't leave.

"Hikaru, don't be so rude. I'm sorry about him," Kaoru apologises. I shrug.

"No harm done. I'm used to discrimination. It's not the worst thing. I guess I'll be seeing you guys around more often, eh?" I say.

"Yeah, we guess," they say in unison. Again. It's quite interesting, how their voices harmonize. Kaoru has a slightly higher voice, and Hikaru tone is more aggressive than his brothers.

"I hope it means I get to hear you play more," Kaoru says. Before I can thank him, the teacher arrives, and the twins sit down next to each other. I turn to face the front, and slouch in my seat a little.

The teacher looks around the room. "Welcome to Ouran. I will be your teacher for the year. You may address me as ." His eyes reach me, and I can feel him judging the clothes I'm wearing. His eyes narrow, but he continues with his introductory speech. I can feel my cheeks blush. I hate being pitied.

"Relax, Sayo. Just show him you're more than a commoner girl," Haruhi whispers to me. I smile at her in thanks, and turn back to Mr. Samaki, who has begun his lesson. I already hate most of this school. I can't wait to be free.

I almost sprint home. Haruhi decided to stay after to study, and Ritsu was picked up from school. It had been painstakingly long. I wasn't too bad with the material, but everyone just stared at me, like I had a third eye or something. A few girls tried to befriend me, but they either got scared off by Ritsu, or they just kept asking me to go to this thing called a 'host club'. Apparently, it's where the school's 'hottest' guys hung out and entertained girls who could request them by name. It all sound superficial to me, though. Something for bourgeoise kids with way too much time and money on their hands.

I go home, make myself some rice, and head into my room. I finish my homework within an hour. Pretty basic stuff. I may not look it, but I'm a pretty smart person. Not Haruhi-smart, but smart enough. When I've finished that, I change into a pair of shorts and an old T-shirt, wrap my hands, and head out. I have a match tonight against some guy named Kenji. He's in a rival syndicate, so it's an important fight.

* * *

"Off, off! This match is over. Sayomi has won!" I smile, breathless, as the unofficial ref raises my hand. I beat Kenji to a pulp. He's currently on the floor, cradling his ribcage, glaring at me as his buddies try to get him up. I walk down out of the ring, getting slaps on the back from some of the guys in my syndicate.

"Nice one, Sayo,"

"You crushed him, Ikeda, way to go!"

"Good job, Sayomi. You are becoming an important member of our little group here," I turn to see Ryuu, our syndicate leader, nodding at me. He has a serious expression. I don't think I've ever seen him smile. I bow my head respectfully.

"Thank you, Ryuu-sama," I say. He nods at me again, and I head towards my prep room. Ritsu's waiting for me.

"Good fight tonight. You have to work on your left arm punches, though, they're not quite as strong as your right ones," he says, tossing me a water bottle. I take a long drink, nodding in agreement.

"I know, I've been trying," I say. Ritsu pats me on the back as he leaves, handing me the envelope with the prize money inside it.

"I can see it, kiddo. You'll be there in no time," he says as he leaves. I rub myself down with the towel on the bench, and leave through the back door. It's dangerous to leave through the front. Someone in the other syndicate could want a little revenge. Partially why I keep my switchblade always tucked into the waistband of my pants, no matter where I go. Can't be too careful.

* * *

Lucky for me, when I get home, my father's passed out in his room. I shower, change into pajamas, and hop into bed. My mind drifts back to what Kaoru said: _I hope I get to hear you play more_. I blush, and then shake myself. No. I refuse to fall for this rich kid. He probably just pities me anyways. With that last thought, sleep overtakes me.

* * *

**Yet another lame chapter. I have yet to develop a conflict, but I will, I swear! Don't give up on me yet! I'm gonna try to usher this story along.**

**Side note-In case you are a visual person with a Polyvore account, my username is alsoknownascoraline. Check out my profile, as I'll be uploading some of Sayomi's outfits (it helps me write when I have a visual)**

**Until next time,**

**the-sarcastic-cynic**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! It would appear that people now actually follow this story, so I just wanted to thank you! I really do appreciate it (I literally make this weird squeal whenever I see someone has followed/favorited). Still trying to get back into the swing of writing fanfiction. Enjoy!**

**Thanks to the following who followed/favorited: Forgetful Insanity, KunoichiJay, RusticSilence, alex0123456789, emmcat1908, and AnimeLover457**

* * *

It's been two days since our first day here. I worked myself into a routine: up early, head to school, fend off idiots for seven hours, go home, homework, work if needed, bed. Pretty repetitive and uneventful.

As I walk through the gates in my black jacket and red pants, I hear the usual murmurs that accompany my entrance. It's getting annoying at this point.

"Sayo! Hey!" Haruhi's calling my name. I turn, and my mouth drops open. She's wearing a uniform. A boy's uniform.

"What's with the outfit, Haru? Were you kidnapped by one of these preps?" I ask her. Her eyes wander to the side.

"That's what I wanted to tell you about. See, when I stayed after that first day, I ran into these dudes-"

"Dudes? Oh God, what happened," I say with a mock groan. She gives me a look.

"Don't interrupt me. Anyways, apparently they run that host club and thought I was a boy looking to join," she awkwardly scratches the back of her neck. I hold in my laughter. "I kind of accidentally broke a vase that was expensive, so now I'mkindofahostbecauseeveryonethinksI'maboy," she finishes quickly. I start laughing

"They think you're a dude? God Haru, we need to get you more dresses or something," I say. She rolls her eyes.

"No, they all figured it out eventually. But apparently you, Ritsu, and them are the only ones who know I'm female. So I work for them now. Apparently I complete their personality set as the 'natural' one or something," she shrugs. "Which brings me to my question: Would you mind hanging out after school with me? Just so I don't have to suffer as much?" she asks. I shrug.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind," I say, internally groaning. My afternoons spent with a bunch of giggling girls and boys with huge egos? Not sounding like fun. But, Haruhi's my friend, and I owe her that.

"Thanks, Sayo. I really owe you one," she says. I smile. Can't wait for this afternoon.

* * *

"It's right down here. Music Room 3," she says. We stop before opening the door. "So, I should probably tell you. There's a tall blond one called Tamaki, and he's a bit… well, you'll see," she says. I'm nervous all of a sudden. This Tamaki could be awful.

We open the doors, and she walks in. I follow after her. There are four guys who all turn to look at us. A tall blond one jumps up.

"Haruhi! You're here! And I see you you've brought a friend," he turns to me, giving me what I guess is some charming I-can-melt-your-heart look. "It's an honor for me to meet you, princess," he says. He bends down to kiss my hand, but I quickly snatch it away, giving him a strange look.

"Um.. yeah. Thanks, I think. I can do without… whatever the hell you call that," I say. His face instantly turns to one of disappointed shock, and he retreats to the corner, where he curls up in a ball and sulks. I look at the others, who are staring at me.

"What, did I bruise his ego? I don't fall for that fairytale shit," I say. Another tall one with glasses sighs.

"He'll get over it. I must say I'm surprised, not many girls are resistant to his charm," he says. He walks over and holds out his hand. "I'm Kyoya. The egotist you just met is-"

"Tamaki. I've heard about him," I say, glancing at Haru, who laughs a little. "I'm Sayomi. But call me Sayo," I say, shaking his hand. He nods, and goes back to whatever he was writing in his little book.

"Sayo-chan!" I look down and a little blond boy holding a rabbit is tugging on the edge of my shirt. "I'm-" My eyes open in realization.

"You're Mitsukuni Haninozuka! You're famous in martial arts," I bow. "It's an honor to meet you." He just smiles.

"Thank you, Sayo-chan! You can just call me Honey though," he says with a smile. A much taller boy with black hair walks up behind him. I recognize this guy too.

"You must be Takashi Morinozuka, the national kendo champ," I say, my eyes wide open. He just holds out his hand.

"Mori," he says, and I shake it. I look around the room. It's well furnished, for a music room. There are lots of tables and chairs, and even a couple of plush couches.

"So," I say. "what exactly do you guys do here? Do you just talk to whatever girl asks for you?" I question as I wander around the room.

"We are here to cater to our customers' every whim, and do whatever is in our power to please them!" Tamaki say determinedly. I raise an eyebrow.

"You recover quickly, Prince Sensitive," I say. Just then, I hear the doors open. _Oh God, there's more of them_ I think as I turn around.

Of all people.

Kaoru and Hikaru stride through the doors. "Hey boss," They say to Tamaki, and stop when they see me.

"No offense, but" Kaoru starts.

"What are you doing here," Hikaru finishes, giving me a look that tells me I don't belong. I raise my head.

"I'm here to make sure Haruhi survives this pretentious act," I say, folding my arms. Tamaki is about to reply, but Kyoya interrupts.

"Our guests will show up any moment now, so get yourselves ready. Sayo-san, you may sit by Haruhi, but please try not to drive anyone away, or we'll have to escort you out," I nod at him, not wanting to have to leave Haru here with these phonies. I settle on the couch. I'm in for one hell of an afternoon.

* * *

I'm only forty-five minutes in and I already can't bear it. I've been listening to these girls giggle and swoon over the obviously fake performances. It's sickening. If Ritsu could hear this, he'd puke.

"Haruhi, you're so smart! Could you tutor me, maybe?"

"Oh Tamaki, you're such a gentleman!" That one almost makes me break my emotionless facade. More like a pompous brat who needs an ego deflation.

"Sayo, how are you holding up?" Haruhi asks me. I look away from Tamaki's guests to see that the girls Haruhi had been entertaining had left. Good.

"Eh. I'll live. It's kind of amusing, everyone thinking you're a boy," I say, smirking at her.

"I don't really care. Gender isn't that important to me," she says. I nod in agreement, but a yelp from across the room distracts me. We both turn.

Kaoru is holding his thumb, his face in an expression of pain. The girls look like they're going to cry. Hikaru rushes to his side.

"Kaoru, are you hurt?" he says worriedly.

"It's ok, Hikaru, I just have a papercut," replies Kaoru in a little voice. I raise an eyebrow.

"Here, let me bandage that for you, little brother." Hikaru kneels in front of Kaoru and gently wraps a band-aid around his finger. The girls squeal. I turn to Haruhi.

"...Is it just me, or does that seem… gee, I don't know, incestuous?" I say, with what must be a disturbed look on my face, because Haruhi starts laughing.

"It's their part. They're the two very caring brothers, I guess," she says. I go back to watching them. They've gone back to flirting with the two girls, who look hopelessly lovesick. I resist the urge to roll my eyes as Kaoru reaches across to hold one of the girl's hands. My hands ball into fists.

Haruhi raises an eyebrow. "Is that jealousy I see?" she says. I unclench my hands and glare at her.

"You know, you just try too damn hard to be perceptive," I say.

"You try a little to hard to be an ice queen," she says in reply, shrugging. I go back to studying the host club members. Mori seems to be Honey's guardian, as they're always together; Kyoya is more of an intellectual, and isn't as pretentious as the others; Tamaki is somehow winning the heart of every girl that visits him, which is quite a few. I don't understand the attraction there. His attitude is a bit fantastical. Hopefully it'll be over soon. Haruhi has gone over to welcome a couple more girls, though, so I guess not.

* * *

Kaoru POV

"Thank God those girls finally left. I thought they'd never shut up," Hikaru says, rolling his eyes. I nod in agreement.

"They were rather long-winded," I say, glancing back over at Sayomi. She looked bored, absentmindedly playing with the end of her ponytail. I felt bad. She must find this really snotty of us.

"How'd she even get into a place like this?" I snap out of my thoughts to hear Hikaru wondering out loud. I shrug.

"She didn't seem stupid when we met her. Maybe she's another scholarship student," I say, still watching her. I don't realize until a few seconds later she's giving Hikaru and me a narrow glare. I turn away immediately. Hikaru tilts his head to the side.

"Are you ok? You seem… out of it," he says.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say thoughtlessly. His eyes open in realization.

"Or distracted! By that girl! I may suck at reading other people, but I see through you like a window, Kaoru," he says teasingly. I glare at him.

"You're wrong. I just… pity her, that's all. She deserves more than what life handed to her," I say, remembering how well she performed. She sang better than most people on the radio.

"Whatever you say, little brother," Hikaru says, smirking. I roll my eyes at him. I just wish there was something I could do for her.

* * *

**Short chapter, I know. Sorry for the POV change in the middle, but it might be something I do a lot. I'm having more trouble characterizing the twins than I thought I would, so they might be a bit OOC for a while. If you have any opinions, feel free to review, or PM me. It lets me know people actually read my stories! Also, if you have any ideas for where the plot should go, you can PM me that too!**

**Please don't give up on me,**

**the-sarcastic-cynic**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow. So this story has over 200 views! Ahhhh!**

**Shoutout to Forgetful Insanity for being my first review!**

**Also thanks to Sweetie1128 and loverofmanythingslikefood for favoriting, and Ringings and Blaze Grayson AKA Ice Flame for following/favoriting!**

**Without further ado, the next chapter!**

* * *

I'm sitting down for lunch with Haruhi and Ritsu when I hear an overly peppy voice calling my name.

"Sayomi! Haruhi!" Tamaki is running into the room, Kaoru and Hikaru running behind him.

"Wait, boss! She might not even want to!" they shout after him.

"What do you suppose that's about?" Haruhi asks me. I give her an exasperated look.

"I guess we're about to find out," I say as the boys reach the table.

"Sayoo, I hear you're quite the guitarist," he says, grabbing my hands. That surprises me. I'm not much fore physical contact. Quickly pulling my hands away, I give Tamaki a look.

"Yeah, so? Who'd you hear that from any-" I turn towards the twins, who shrink back.

"We swear we didn't mean for this to happen! He was questioning us about you!" they say in unison. Kaoru's giving me a concerned look. I decide to ignore it, and face the matter at hand.

"Well, since we felt we needed a little change in our club, we've decided to hire you as an entertainer! Isn't that wonderful!" he cries with a delighted expression. I glare back.

"Why were you questioning them about me?" I ask him, jerking my head in the twins' direction.

"Well, I just had to find out if you were safe for my little girl to be friends with."

"Tamaki, I'm not your little girl!" Haruhi says annoyedly. I sigh.

"Ok. I'll play for you guys," I say. It'll give me a chance to make some cash, and keep an eye on Haruhi. Wouldn't want these creeps around to constantly badger her all the time. Tamaki clasps his hands in excitement.

"Wonderful!" he cries. The twins approach me.

"Sorry we got you into this," they say. I shrug.

"I'll be making money. It won't be so bad," I say. I turn to Tamaki.

"I'm guessing you won't want me playing punk rock during your little performances. Piano or violin," I ask him grudgingly. His eyes light up. The twins pick their heads up.

"You play violin?" they ask simultaneously. I nod.

"Even better! Ah, this will so delight our guests!" he says as he skips away, searching for Kyoya, I suppose. I sigh.

"Sayo?" I turn. Ritsu looks like he's going to erupt. "W-who was that?" he asks stiffly.

"Apparently, my new boss," I say. Before I can explain, Kaoru interrupts me.

"Do you play any other instruments?" he asks curiously.

"Bass, drums. A little ukelele," I say. Hikaru gets a mischievous smile on his face.

"Kaoru plays guitar too. I'll bet he'd love to play with you," he says. Kaoru elbows him in the stomach and drags him away.

"I guess we'll see you later!" he calls out as he leaves. I turn to Haruhi, who had just explained Tamaki to Ritsu.

"He's a bit of a wild card, but he has good intentions, I guess," she says with a half-smile. Ritsu just nods.

"I don't really like any of them," he says.

"I'll be fine, Su-su," I say teasingly. He glares.

"Don't call me that."

"Whatever you say, Su-su," Haruhi and I reply in unison and burst into laughter as Ritsu's face turned red from annoyance. I have no idea what I'd do without these two in school.

* * *

I had run to Hiroki's for my violin and returned within twenty minutes. It wasn't very far to his home if you knew the shortcuts. I took a deep breath, and walked in. "Hey guys, I got my violin," I say. Kyoya walks over to me.

"Sayomi, first I want to tell you that we are allowing you to play without any prior knowledge of whether you are any good; however Tamaki-senpai refuses to stop badgering me about so I have obliged. Secondly, if any of the guests dislike the music being played, we will refuse to hire you to play any longer. That is all. You may set up by the piano," he says, and walks away. Not one to chat, I guess. I walk over to the piano, where a music stand has been put up. I pull my mother's book of solos out of the pocket of the case, and begin to pull out my violin.

"What are you going to play for us, Sayo?" two voices ask from behind me.

"A couple of Baroque period pieces, some etudes, maybe a Mozart," I say, setting down my violin.

"What are you rubbing on your bow?" Hikaru asks me, wrinkling his nose.

"It's called rosin. It's what makes the bow able to vibrate the strings effectively," I say as I fit the chin-rest onto the violin. I remember how my mother used to coach me and my brother.

* * *

_"Ready? One, two, three!" She waves her hands in the motion to count off a measure of three before my brother and I begin our duet. My part soars through high notes that I play with ease, as my brother keeps times with the lower part. My mother conducts us, the biggest smile on her face. "Great job!" she says, rubbing my seven-year-old head lovingly. She pats my brother on the back. "You did well, Satochi." My 13-year-old brother crouches down to my height._

_"See, Omi? When you think of it in one, instead of three, it's easier to play," he says. I smile and nod at him._

* * *

"Sayomi? Are you alright?" I snap out of it to see Kaoru staring at me, concerned. I look around.

"What happened to Hikaru-san?" I say.

"He just had to go talk to Tamaki about something. Now what's up with you? You were out for almost a minute," he says. I hesitate.

"My mom and brother used to play the violin. This one was his. Satochi's," I say softly, holding the violin with care. Kaoru tilts his head.

"Is he… I mean did he.."

"Die? Yeah, he did. I think you're guests are going to arrive soon, and I need to warm up, so you'd better go," I say hurriedly. He walks away, giving me a brief look of pity and something else I couldn't quite place before he turned away. I take a moment to push back tears that had appeared out of nowhere, threatening to break through. I couldn't let anyone see me cry. It's weak. I don't need pity.

As I tune my violin, some early guests start entering. I flip to the first piece in the book. It's a fairly easy composition. I take a deep breath, and start to play. Settling into the zen-like mode I get into whenever I play, I can hear the room quiet down to murmurs.

"Wow, she's amazing!"

"Beautiful!"

"There's no way she apart of the yakuza, she's too talented!" I nearly hold a note for too long on this one. We're not all bad people. Some of us were born into it. Some are looking for a way out.

I fully let myself go, allowing the music to sweep through me. Playing the violin, I feel graceful. Almost beautiful. But all pieces must end, and so this one does. I tuck my violin under my arm gently, and bow as polite clapping comes from all around the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kyoya nodding at me as I rise. I hear Honey-senpai cheering in front, as the girls with him giggle and fuss over how cute he is. Flipping to the next page, I continue to my next piece. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

* * *

"Sayo-chan! Sayo-chan! You were so great!" I turn to see Honey bounding from across the room. Mori follows him. I don't think I've ever seen those two apart.

"Thanks, Honey-senpai. I'm glad you liked it," I say with a smile.

"Would you like to have some cake with me?" he asks. My smile fades quickly.

"I'm sorry, Honey-senpai. I have a… match tonight," I say. It's not exactly a lie. I will be fighting someone. Technically illegal, but we have a loophole. Honey's face goes from almost full-on tears, to excitement.

"I didn't know you competed! Can we come? Please?" he says, with a puppy-dog face.

"That's because you can't really call it legitimate competing," she mutters. I elbow her in the stomach.

"You fight, Sayomi? That's something we won't want to miss," the twins say. I sigh.

"Fine. But this place… it's not a rich person place. Dress casually. As casual as possible. Rough. Messy," I say. These guys will stick out like sore thumbs if they come dressed in designer stuff. I pull some paper out of my bag, and scribble down my address. "Meet me at my house at 8," I say.

"What's this? Where is my little girl going to so late at night?" Tamaki comes over with Kyoya. I resist the urge to punch him as Haruhi tells him she isn't his daughter.

"I have a little match tonight. They're coming along. No, you can't come, you'll stick out like a cherry blossom in Siberia," I say. Tamaki stomps his foot, as Kyoya pinches the bridge of his nose.

"But I must go to protect-"

"I assure you, Tamaki, Haruhi will be completely safe there," Kyoya interrupts him. "I did my research on you, Sayomi. You're quite popular among your little… group," he says with a hint of a sneer. I narrow my eyes. "Any guests of yours will be under their protection, am I correct?" he says.

"Yes. I have people who can make sure you don't do anything to piss off someone there," I say. "Now I really need to get going," I finish quickly, and dash out of the room. I have homework to do, people to contact, and a match to prepare for.

* * *

I hear the knock on the door. My father won't be home until 10 or 11, so I'm safe. I open it up. The twins, Mori, Honey, and Haruhi are standing there, looking confused. I roll my eyes.

"Yes, I'm dirt-poor. I have rich cousins, that's why I'm in Ouran. You can come in," I say.

As they file into the kitchen, Haruhi stops. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I've been, but they're not from around here," I wave her off.

"It's no big deal. I have Ritsu and Hiroki to supervise them. And if the cops show up, they'll know where to take them," I say. I turn to face them. It looks like they at least tried to dress casually. Except they still look too clean.

"So, Sayo-chan? What do you think, do we look like street punks?" says Honey, taking a tough stance. It's freaking adorable, but I hold back the laughter.

"Kind of. But you guys still look too neat.." I say, and grab a pair of scissors. Taking Kaoru's jeans, I cut out the knee.

"What the hell was that? These are designer," he says. I give him a look.

"Do you want to go, or not?" I ask him. He nods sulkily, and I continue to take pieces out of his clothes. I finish with the twins, who were wearing matching tank tops and skinny jeans, and move on to Honey. Before I can touch him, Mori takes the scissors out of my hand.

"I'll take care of that," he says, carefully cutting through bits of Honey's shirt.

When we've finally finished prepping, we head out. I walk along the streets, where I belong, confident in my knowledge of their little secrets. I can hear them trying to whisper.

"Does she live alone?" asks Honey.

"I think I saw a hole that went through the drywall, it looks like someone punched it," says Mori.

"I wonder if she's ok at home. I her eyes when Tamaki tried to grab her hands earlier. She was scared for a moment," says Kaoru.

"If you guys are going to talk about me, either be quieter or just say it to my face," I say. They go silent. As I turn into the alley, Mori decides to ask me the question everyone is secretly wondering.

"Are you ok okay at home, Sayomi?" I stop.

"Yeah. It's fine," I say. Again not exactly a lie. I don't mind the abuse anymore. I walk up to the door and turn to face them.

"You all have to swear you will never tell anyone where this is located, or speak of the fight to anyone. Doing either risks my main source of income, so unless you want me to starve to death, keep it hush-hush. If anyone at school finds out, I'll get kicked out," I say. They all nod.

"Don't worry Sayo-chan, you're secret's safe with us," says Honey seriously. They all nod in agreement. "Alright. I'm going to lead you to my friend Hiroki. Sit with him, and don't say a word to anyone else, no matter what they may say to you. If anyone asks, you're my cousins from out of town," I say, and lead them inside. We head down the dimly lit stairway into the main arena. There were wooden bleachers all centered around a fence-encircled platform, that was splotched with bloodstains. Ritsu and Hiroki are waiting by the cage. So far the bleachers are pretty empty. I walk them over.

"Hey, Sayo. Haruhi," Ritsu says. I turn to the guys.

"Alright, this is Hiroki. Stay with him like I said. If anything goes wrong tonight, he'll know what to do," I tell them. He smiles at the guys. Honey looks like he's about to have the time of his life. Mori… looks like he normally does. Hikaru has the usual mischievous grin on his face, but Kaoru looks tense. I give him a look.

"You okay, Kaoru-san?" I ask him.

"Do you normally lose fights?" he asks nervously. I laugh.

"Not anymore. I'm the resident champ here," I say. He still looks concerned. "Really. I'll be ok. This guy's a breeze, I've fought him before. Relax," He looks surprised as I put a hand on his shoulder. "Let go a little. I'm gonna go warm up," I say.

"Good luck, Sayo-chan!" says Honey.

"Be careful!" says Haruhi. I smile and wave back at them as I go into my warm-up room with Ritsu. He shuts the door angrily.

"You ok, Su-su?" I ask him as I wrap my hand. He wheels on me.

"What's the deal with you and this Kaoru guy?" he asks me. I stop for a second.

"We're friends. I'm allowed to make them," I say. He presses a hand to his forehead.

"From the way he looked at you, I'm pretty sure he wants a little more than 'just friends'," he growls. I laugh.

"Ritsu, stop being so overprotective. He's just… concerned for my well-being," I finish up wrapping my hands and jog around the room. Ritsu decides to let it go. We stretch in silence, as I try not to let myself tense up. Could Kaoru really be that concerned for me? No. Ritsu's probably just trying to read too much into him .There's no way he cares about a girl like me.

It's finally time. I check the wrappings on my hands and feet one last time, pull off my shirt, revealing my sports bra and part of the phoenix tattoo I have. It pretty much covers my right side, down to my hip. We exit the room.

"Remember, he's weak on his left leg. Play that to your advantage," Ritsu says. "Good luck, Omi," I smile back at him, and turn to face the crowd. The stench of beer and sweat mingles with the sounds of cheers as I enter the room. I spot Haruhi and the others. They're all cheering loudly for me. Even Mori was clapping. However, as I strode up to the gate entrance to the cage, I could see that Haruhi and Kaoru looked a bit more worried. Haruhi I could understand, but Kaoru? I stop dwelling on it. It's probably nothing. My opponent enters the cage. His name is Katsuo, and he stands about a foot taller than me. The ref enters behind him.

"Tonight's match will be between our reigning house champion, Sayomi Ikeda, also known as the Red Bullet!" I almost laugh. I always forget that people call me that here. The crowd cheers for me. "And her challenger, Katsuo Watanabe!" He makes us shake hands, and go to our designated place at either end of the ring. I maintain eye contact. The match is only 80% physical. The rest is mental intimidation. I settle into a defensive position. The ref throws down his hand.

* * *

**Kaoru POV**

I can't help but worry. This guy is at least a foot taller than her. What if she gets beat?

"Don't worry. They don't call her the Red Bullet for nothing. Small but dangerous," Hiroki says. I turn to him, confused. He just laughs and shakes his head. "I can tell you're concerned. That's good. She could use someone to take care of her. She needs it more than she thinks," he says. The match is about to start. The ref throws down his hand. Immediately, Katsuo goes in for an attack, but Sayomi knows where to be. She easily sidesteps the charge, and tries to sweep-kick his right leg out from underneath him.

"Come on Sayomi! you can crush this guy easy!" I hear Hikaru shout. Katsuo is still standing, and takes a swing at her. She blocks it, and twists to kick him in the side. His left leg falters, and he falls to the ground, sliding away.

"You got it, Sayo!" I shout. She goes to bodyslam him, but he rolls just in time and she lands on the concrete platform. He immediately rolls on top of her, and tries to knock her out, but she manages to block his arms and pin him against the floor. They continue to wrestle until Sayomi stands and goes to kick his head. We all cheer. Even Haruhi is having fun.

But Katsuo sees it coming. He grabs her leg, and whips her into the wall of the cage. She falls to the ground in a crouch.

"No, Sayo!" I scream. She can't be hurt. He's coming at her and there's no way, not enough time for her to recover-

She springs up and kicks his head to the floor, landing squarely in front. He's out stone cold. The ref counts to ten, and then grabs Sayomi's hand, raising it in the air. "The Red Bullet keeps her title!" The crowd roars, all of us along with it.

"You were really concerned, huh little brother," Hikaru says teasingly.

"Was not!"

"Were too. You like her," he says. I roll my eyes. He can think whatever he wants.

"If you guys want, you can come and see Sayomi. She's just recovering," Ritsu says to us. We follow him down to the prep room, where Sayo is sitting on a bench, putting one of those warm patches on her left side. Where she got hit. When she looks up, she smiles.

"So, how'd you guys like it? Full commoner experience at it's best, am I right?" she says.

"You were amazing, Sayo-chan! You fight really well!" says Honey. She smiles proudly.

"It's an honor receiving a compliment like that from you," she says. Honey just gives her one of his big smiles, and yawns. Mori puts him on his shoulders.

"Good job Sayo. We'll be going now, I know this area," he says. They leave.

"You were really good. I wouldn't want to see you pick a fight with one of the kids from school," Hikaru says.

"She already has," Haruhi mutters. "but you did do well tonight."

"She has?" we ask in unison. Ritsu laughs, and Sayo shrugs.

"They made some sexual comment, I threatened to turn them into pudding. Not really a fistfight," she says. Hikaru squints at her.

"Are all those bruises from your fights?" he asks her. Only then do I notice the black and blue splotches all around her torso, and some on her arms and legs. One of them looks like a handpri-

"Yeah, they're nothing," she says, putting on a shirt before I can tell. I narrow my eyes. She's hiding something, I know it. She's nervous.

Before I can ask, Haruhi interrupts me. "Alright, well I have to head home. My dad'll be home soon, and I want to make sure he eats. See you guys next week," she says, waving goodbye. Hikaru looks after her. He likes her, I can tell. I'm not sure if he knows it yet, though. Sayomi begins unwrapping her feet. "I'll try to hurry up here, but if you guys know your way home, feel free to go,"

"We don't," we reply. She shrugs. Hikaru smiles.

"Well, I'm just going to head to the bathroom before we go. I'll meet you guys at the door, ok?" he gives me a look. I glare at him.

"Ok, see you," says Sayomi, who starts unwrapping her hands. I sit on the bench next to her.

"So, the host club is planning on going to one of the waterparks Kyoya's family owns next weekend. You up for it?" I ask her, out of lack of anything else to talk about. She hesitates.

"Well, I don't think I could afford it," she says, looking down.

"No, no, it's all-expense paid. It'd be no 'd like you to go,"_ I'd like you to go_.

She nods. "Ok, as long as it's cool," I smile.

"Good," I say. We stand. "Um, Sayomi?" She turns.

"What's up? You look worried," she says.

"I was just wondering if.. you were ok at home. It just didn't look safe, and I thought I saw handprint bruises-"

"I'm fine, alright? Yeah, I've had it tough, but I'm pulling through. Really. Don't badger me about it," she says as she leaves the room. "Are you coming or not?" She walks out. I leave behind her, but I'm still worried.

She never answered the question.

* * *

**Sayomi POV**

Once I've sent the twins off, I head straight to my room, and crouch down, putting my head between my legs._ They're going to find out. They're going to abandon you. You're filth. Damaged. You don't deserve them. Just like you didn't deserve your brother_. I blink away the tears. I refuse to break. A hand grabs my arm and drags me out.

"Good. You're finally home," my father says as we head into this room. I close my eyes, and pretend it's not real.

* * *

**So. Getting dark. That was kind of a lazy ending. I'm feeling better about how I'm writing the twins, though. Any thoughts?**

**Also, I'm not sure this story will be perfectly in sync with the anime timeline, as they don't discern how much time has elapsed between episodes within the storyline. I'll be adding stuff, not writing in minor stuff, but I'll still have the general progression in place, and may continue beyond the Eclair incident. I don't know. If you have any thoughts, do share.**

**Thanks for reading, and I'll add again soon,**

**the-sarcastic-cynic**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Sorry it took me so long! I was in the pit orchestra for my school's show, and I'm failing math, and the conductor's really cute… So I've been distracted.**

**This chapter is really boring. It will hopefully get better next time! Or maybe not. Nonetheless, enjoy! (or try to)**

* * *

"I can't believe I got dragged here," I mutter, looking around at the realistic forest. We're at the water park that Kyoya's family owns. It had been quite a week with the host club. This girl named Renge, who's obsessed with Kyoya, decided to appoint herself our new manager, tried to film us, and eventually had a meltdown. Haruhi managed to calm her down, and now she just hangs with us. She's a bit obnoxious, but she doesn't pay much attention to me, so I don't mind.

"Sayo-chan, come in the water! It's really nice!" says Honey, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turn to Haruhi, who was eyeing the pools with a distasteful expression.

"You gonna swim, Haru?" I ask her. She shakes her head.

"No, I think I'll just sit-" The twins grab her from behind and try to drag her away.

"Come on, Haruhi, we have a surprise for you," they say. Haruhi struggles, and looks desperately towards me.

"Sayo! Help me!" she shouts. I just laugh at her. She needs to loosen up a little more. Have some fun. I turn towards Honey, who is pouting at me.

"Come on, Sayo-chan! It's boorring all by myself!" he says, floating around.

"Ok, I'm coming!" I say. I put my stuff down by a tree, and take off the tank top and shorts I had worn here to reveal to sorry excuse I had for a bathing suit, which consisted of a sports bra and boy shorts. My body was splotched with black, blue and yellow bruises. It's hideous. I take out my ponytail, unraveling the braid. It's hard to detangle if I leave it in to swim.

I run towards the pool and dive in. The warm water provides relief for my dry skin. I come up for air, my wet hair floating behind me. Honey is smiling as he floats over to me.

"Woah Sayo-chan, you look like a mermaid. I think Kaoru-chan thinks so too," he says, pointing towards the patio. I look over to see Kaoru quite literally gazing at me with his mouth hanging slightly open. Excitement bursts in my stomach, but I try to suffocate it. I wave over to him and Hikaru, who looks like he's stifling a laugh.

"Come on in, guys, the water's great!" I shout over to them. They just shrug at each other and run in, as I dive under. I swim down deeper, opening my eyes just as Kaoru land in the water. He opens his eyes and smiles at me. I wave back, and look around. Where's Hikar-

A pair of arms wrap around, my torso. It catches me off guard. I frantically try to get away, but they're keeping a tight grip. I can't do this. I can't think, can't breathe, as I uselessly flop around, until dots dance around in my peripheral vision, and everything goes black.

* * *

"You idiot! I can't believe you'd try to pull something like that!"

"Hey, I didn't know she was gonna have a panic attack!"

"Would both of you imbeciles shut up, she's awake," I open my eyes. My head is in someone's lap. Kyoya's hands are on my forehead and midsection.

"Get off me! Get off!" I shout as I scramble away from them. I curl my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them as I realize what I've just done. So I was in Kaoru's lap. They're all giving me confused looks.

"Sayo, are you okay?" Haruhi asks me, genuinely concerned. I give her a shaky smile.

"I'm fine. You guys just… surprised me, that's all," I say. They don't buy it at all. Kaoru elbows Hikaru, who approaches me.

"Hey so… I kind of grabbed you from behind and… I had no idea that would happen.. I guess what I mean is-"

"It's cool. You didn't know. I get it," I say, standing. I can hear the wobble in my voice that always comes before tears. My legs are still shaking, and I'm trying to stop my teeth from chattering. I wrap my arms around myself. It's freezing, being out of the water.

"Sayomi, I can send for a doctor, if you'd like," Kyoya says. "I'm sorry for touching you, but you had started panicking underwater, and you required resuscitation," he says.

"Thank you, Kyoya-senpai, but I'm fine now. Thanks for not letting me die. I'm just going to get dressed and sit down," I say, and head over to the bathrooms, trying to hold back the tears flooding my eyes.

* * *

Kaoru POV

I watch her as she walks towards the bathrooms. Only then do I notice how emaciated she is. Her legs, though toned and obviously made of muscle, are twigs, and her ribs are defined.

"Do we really think she's okay?" says Tamaki. I look at him in surprise.

"Didn't think you cared for her much, boss," I say with Hikaru. He ignores us.

"How blind are we? She looked like she was about to break down. She's still shaking," he says, seemingly to himself.

"She's had it rough," Haruhi says. "Her mom died when she was little, and her brother a couple years after. And I've had my suspicions about her dad. He's kind of a sketchy character, but she won't acknowledge it," she says. I look at her.

"Her mom died?" That must've been really tough. Haruhi nods. I look back towards where she went.

"I'm going to go make sure she's ok," I say, putting my jacket on.

"She might not like that. She kind of appreciates her solitude," Haruhi says.

"Well, we can't just leave her to cry by herself," I respond. Haruhi just shrugs.

"Your funeral," she says. I jog to the bathroom door, and knock.

"Sayo? Are you ok?" I ask her. I hear a couple sniffles.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Just leave me alone," she says in an obviously pseudo-happy voice. I open the door, and walk inside. She's curled up underneath one of the sinks, her head between her knees, shaking. She picks up her head as I approach her. "Just go, Kaoru. I'm a mess," she says. I sit down across from her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sayo. It's ok to cry sometimes, alright?" I say softly, not wanting to startle her. I take off my jacket, and gently wrap it around her shoulders. She looks up in shock as I sit next to her. I hope I don't make her freak out again.

"You don't have to be strong all the time. It's ok to depend on us a little," I say. She looks down.

"I've never been able to depend on anyone before. It's always been me against world, I guess," she says.

"Well it's different now. You have us to go to, if you ever need help. We're all here for you. Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, Haruhi, even Tamaki and Kyoya, even though don't always show it. And me and Hikaru. Our door's always open. We all care about you, you know," I say. She looks at me, her eyes big and lips quivering. I slowly put an arm around her, hoping she doesn't run away. She tenses up, and then leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder, letting the rest of her tears flow in silence. I then realize how tiny she is compared to me. I guess I've never noticed because she's always so… intimidating. Sayo picks her head up and wipes her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that," she says, slowly getting up. I get up along with her.

"It's fine, Sayo. You don't have to apologize," I say. She starts to take off the jacket, but I shake my head. "Keep it on. You look frozen, blue lips." She laughs at the lame joke. I like seeing her smile again.

"Alright, do I look like I've just had a panic attack?" she asks me. I shake my head.

"Nah, you look great." _Beautiful_. "Let's head back out, before Hikaru accuses me of being a perv." She snorts at that comment as we head outside.

"If anyone's likely to be a perv, it's Tamaki. I don't trust him around Haruhi," she says. I shrug.

"I think he cares about her more than he thinks he does. He was pretty concerned about you too," I say.

"Really?" She raises an eyebrow in doubt.

"Yeah, I guess we all were," I say as we approach the poolside.

* * *

Sayomi POV (mwahhahahaha yet another. Apologies)

That was humiliating. Letting someone see me like that. At least it was Kaoru. It was admittedly nice having someone come and comfort me. Normally after an episode like that, I just cry in my room and hope to God my father doesn't hear. And yeah, I guess I did kind of like having his arm around me. It was safe. I felt safe.

"Are you ok? I just didn't want to bother you, I'm sorry Kaoru went in there," Haruhi says. "Is that his jacket?" I nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. It was actually good having him there, making sure I didn't do something stupid. And yeah, it's his jacket. So? I got cold," I say, a little too defensively.

"You really like him, don't you?" she says quietly.

"Yeah, whatever, you insightful twat." She just laughs at me.

"What? This is the first time you've actually bonded with someone other than me or Ritsu. I'm just a little surprised," she says. A huge wave suddenly sweeps over the pool, Honey caught in it. Mori starts to run after him, but falls on a banana peel.

"Mori-senpai, are you ok?" I ask him. He just nods and rubs his head, getting up. I look towards the pool. It looks like it wraps around a corner and… disappears into the jungle.

"Honey-senpai is gone? We must form a search party!" shouts Tamaki, and he runs in the direction of the pool, only to be chased back by crocodiles.

"Kyoya-senpai, why would you have crocodiles in a water park?" Kyoya adjusts his glasses.

"They probably escaped from their enclosure. Honey-senpai is probably at the end of that pool. Since we can't take that route, we'll have to go through the rainforest. It's about eight hundred meters, so we might as well start walking," he says. We head in the direction of the forest. It really does look… well, real. I can even hear animal noises.

"You think anything's really living in here, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi asks.

"Well, my family has always strived for authenticity, despite what the costs of it may be," he says. Haruhi and I exchange looks.

"I guess that's a yes. Hope there's nothing too dangerous," I say dryly. We continues walking. Mori seems really concerned. He keeps stumbling and tripping over his own two feet. I hope he knows we're going to find Honey.

After about ten minutes, it starts to rain. Kyoya leads us to a thatch-covered hut, where we sit and wait for the rain to end. Haruhi goes over to comfort Mori, which I think helped him. I guess he's like me in that way. Never realizing he needs other people's help. Kyoya is writing stuff down, and the twins are teasing Tamaki about being a perv, which is amusing for no other reason than seeing him Hikaru keeps taunting him, Kaoru comes over and sits with me.

"I have a question," he says.

"That's very interesting. Why are you telling me?" I say sarcastically. He laughs.

"If you don't like people touching you, how come you're so good at fighting?" I think for a moment. I had never really thought about it before.

"Well, I guess it's almost motivation to win at all cost. Don't let the opponent touch you, beat him up, or else humiliate yourself and cry in the middle of the cage," I respond. "It's also how I have to make money, since no one will hire me, and my father doesn't make enough himself," I say. He nods. "Ok, now I get to ask you a question," I say.

"Shoot."

"Do you actually play guitar?" I ask him. He half-smiles.

"Yeah. Hikaru and I can both play," he says. "We used to perform together, but we didn't sound good. Two guitars without anything else is hard to do."

"Yeah. I used to have a band that I'd play with. We would perform at small places, though. We opened for a band once, but we stopped after that. It's not the same without a full band," I say. Kaoru opens his mouth to say something, but then the rain stops. "I guess it's time to continue on," says Kyoya, and we head back out. As we're about to head back down the trail, Hikaru stops us.

"Wait, where's Haruhi and Mori-senpai?" he asks. I look around. They're both gone.

"Mori-senpai probably left without us. I'm guessing Haruhi's naturally curious nature led her to follow him. We'll probably find each other when we find Honey-senpai," Kyoya says. Tamaki stamps his foot.

"We cannot go any further until my little girl comes back!" he says stubbornly. Kyoya sighs.

"Did I not just say that we will find her with Honey-senpai, Tamaki?" he asks. Tamaki sighs, and consents to go. I'm a bit concerned, but Haruhi's smart. She'll find us. And she has Mori to protect her, if it comes to that.

* * *

It turns out it nearly did. Apparently the police that Kyoya called had mistaken Haruhi for the 'small boy' they were supposed to be looking for, and Mori was a 'suspicious figure'. They threatened to fire at him, but then Honey came swinging in and kicked their asses, and then we found them. All in all, a very eventful day for me. We're also going to the ocean at some point. Tamaki heard that Haruhi likes the beach, and has made it a thing. Wonderful.

It's been a long day. I just hope my father isn't too rough on me.

* * *

**So. That was really lame. I just need to develop bonds between characters more, and then it can get dramatic. Again, if you have any ideas as to where the story should go, do share. I literally make this up as I go. Hopefully the next chapter will be better.**

**Also, I know there are inconsistencies between my story and the Ouran world. Please don't point them out, as they won't be fixed (I would have to rewrite the whole story). I'll try harder to do better in the future**

**'Til next time,**

**the-sarcastic-cynic**


	6. Chapter 6

**Short chapter. Everything at bottom.**

* * *

"Hey, Omi," I turn from where I was headed to face Ritsu.

"Hey Ritsu. I'm just on my way to the club," I say. He wrinkles his nose. It's only the Wednesday after the rainforest trip. Ritsu heard about my little "episode", and now he's even more opposed to my current position. We continue to walk towards the music room.

"I wish you wouldn't hang out with those guys. I think they're going to end up hurting you more than helping you." I sigh.

"I have to support myself. I refuse to depend on charity," I say. He makes a noise of disapproval.

"You can't go on by yourself forever, Omi. You're going to need help someday. Hell, you need help now!" Ritsu replies, his voice rising. I shake my head as I pull open the doors.

"Well, this is what I have now, alright? Relax, I'm ok," I tell him as I walk in. More to reassure myself then to reassure him. Kyoya walks over to me.

"Sayomi, we have your outfit waiting by the piano. I assume you have an appropriate list for today's Gothic theme?" he asks me, looking down at his book.

"Outfit?" This was new. Normally I just showed up in whatever I was wearing. He pushed his glasses up.

"Yes, Tamaki has decided that it would be more fitting for you to match with the rest of us, I suppose," he says with a sigh.

"And you don't have to worry about paying for it. Kaoru and Hikaru's mother is a designer. She helps us with all of our costumes. I sure you'll look beautiful in yours," Tamaki interjects. I just nod. He's beginning to grow on me a bit.

"Thanks… I guess," I say, and head over to the piano. On the bench is a long, sleeveless dress, almost all black, except for the corset part, which is a dark red. Long black glove lie on top of it.

"I cannot believe this," I say. It's a beautiful dress. I just wish it were for someone who were a little more appealing.

"Wow, Sayo, that's quite the costume," Haruhi says, looking at the dress.

"Yeah, no shit. I think I'm going to need help putting this on," I say, holding it up.

"Here, we can change in the spare room over here. I can help you," she says as we walk over. It's small, and pretty plain for Ouran. I take off my boots and clothes quickly, leaving me bare. Haruhi smacks herself in the forehead. "I forgot my shirt. I'll be back in a sec," she says, leaving. I slip the dress on over my head, enjoying the freeness of the fabric. I do enjoy dresses when they aren't made to look like puff pastries.

"I think there are extra-" I turn to see Kaoru standing in the doorway, a frightened look on his face. I raise an eyebrow.

"I'm not naked, relax. Can you tie the back for me?" I ask him.

"Sure, Sayomi," he says. I can hear something different in his tone. Fear? Not exactly. We stand in awkward silence as he ties the corset tight.

"I-Is that ok?" It was a hint of a stammer, but a stammer nonetheless. He's nervous. But why? I try bending over, and stand back up.

"I'm good. Thanks for that. I know it's kind of awkward," He just smiles and waves it off.

"No problem. But what are the tattoos on your shoulders?" I stiffen.

"They're wallcreepers. It's a type of bird," I say. I can feel him still staring at my back.

"Well, I can see that. But what are they for? Don't people get tattoos for reasons?" I can't bear to think about it. I can't let myself crumble to pieces in front of him again. I whirl towards him.

"Yes. And maybe someday I'll tell you, but for now I won't, alright? I gotta go." I say as I leave. I wish I could tell him. But I can't. He'll ask how they died. I can't tell him why.

* * *

I head over to the piano, and put on the glove. They're silky, and fit well. I sit down at the piano, and hum a few notes. I think I'll sing today.

I look around. People have already started to filter in as I stretch out my hands. I notice Kyoya nodding at me from his seat, so I turn to the piano, and let my fingers find the first chord.

_Lithium_

_Don't wanna lock me up inside_

_Lithium_

_Don't wanna forget how it feels without_

_Lithium,_

_I wanna stay in love with my sorrow,_

_Oh, but God, I wanna let it go_

My fingers hammer on the keys of the piano. I can hear the noise in the room fall to a low murmur. I continue to sing, the words leaving my mouth with barely any thought. This was the first song I had ever written on a piano. I relish the feeling of the keys giving way to my fingers, completely in sync, submitting to the frenzied passion that had long been subdued by the horror that has become my life, yet feeling wholly tranquil. I loved it. "I'm gonna let it go," I finish, barely breathing out the last words of the song. I can hear the scattered applause of the guests, but I've already moved on to the next piece. I love dark music.

* * *

"You have an amazing voice, Sayomi! Oh, it still lingers in my ears! True passion!" Tamaki exclaims dramatically. I laugh a little. The guests had trickled out, and I was trying to get my fingers to feel right again.

"Thanks, Tamaki-senpai," I reply, awkwardly rubbing the back of my head. I hate getting complemented.

"You really should sing for us more often. Only our first time hearing it, and we're all entranced," he says softly, pulling his "prince face". I raise an eyebrow.

"You already know I don't fall for that shit, Tamaki," I say, rolling my eyes.

"I just can't seem to figure you out, Sayomi. You're different from the girls here, but different from Haruhi too," he says as he strolls away.

"You have no idea," I mutter under my breath as I free my arms from the confines of the gloves.

"Sayomi," I hear two singsong voices say. Turning around, I see Kaoru and Hikaru.

"What do you two wa-"

"We have a gift," Hikaru says, and holds out a cell phone. I can feel my eyes widen in surprise.

"I can't accept that, guys, it's way too much, and I can't afford-"

"Don't worry about it. We just want to be able to keep in touch with you. We've got the bill covered," Kaoru says with a reassuring smile. I shake my head.

"No, it's really too much, I-"

"Sayomi, just take it for our sake. We just want you to have someone you can call in case of… something bad," he says. I reluctantly take the phone from Hikaru's hand.

"The host club numbers are already in there. We gave Haruhi one too, so she's also there," Hikaru says. I notice the slight tone change when he says her name. It's just little bit gentler. I wonder if-

"So, Sayomi, you know about the beach trip, right?" I had almost forgotten. Biting my lip, I try to estimate how much damage from my father this might cost me. After the rainforest escapade, he wasn't that pleased with me. "Are you ok?" I snap out of my thoughts to see Hikaru and Kaoru giving me a concerned look. I shake my head.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say. They exchange glances.

"You do realize that if you have something you need to talk about, you can come to us, right?" Kaoru says.

"Yeah, we are your friends, Sayo," Hikaru adds. I shake my head again.

"It's nothing. What were you saying about the beach trip?" I change the subject.

"Oh, well, we're going to be bringing guests to entertain, so the boss wants you to bring whatever instruments you'd like for a performance," Hikaru says. I nod.

"Yeah, I can definitely do that. I'm gonna go change out of this dress," I say, trying to make an escape. Hikaru gets a mischievous grin on his face.

"Why do that when Kaoru thinks you look so nice in it. He couldn't stop looking at you th-" Kaoru's hand slams over his twins mouth as I watch with an amused expression. His cheeks are tinted pink, and I can feel myself blushing too. I dash across the room and into the closet, where I slowly sink to the floor. He thinks I look nice.

* * *

"Hey, Hiroki, Kaebe," I say as I walk into their house. I give Kaebe a hug. She's been mute all her life, so she doesn't say anything. Hiroki just smiles at me.

"Hey, Omi, how's prep school treating you?" he asks jokingly. I laugh.

"You wouldn't believe what goes on with rich kids," I say as I tuck my violin in the spare room. I tell him about how I'm working for the Ouran club, and about all the guys there. "You wouldn't believe their little president, Tamaki. I don't think I've ever seen someone so melodramatic in my life. And the vice president has the dirt on everyone, even me," I add. "He's not telling anyone though. There's also this pair of twins. Ugh, you wouldn't believe them. They pretend to be 'loving brothers'," I shudder. (A/N: Sorry. Just wanted to say that if you do read twincest stuff, I'm not hating on you. Do your own thing. Peaceskies.) Hiroki looks just a little disturbed, but really amused.

"And what's the other one like?" he asks.

"Well, he's not as bad when it's just him," I say, and proceed to tell him about the little 'incident' I had at the water park (leaving out the 'why' behind my panic attacks), and how Kaoru calmed me down. Hiroki just has this grin on his face. "What?" I say, confused.

"He's smitten with you, and you can't even see it," I can feel my cheeks heating as I stammer in my attempt to disprove him. I look over to Kaebe, who is smiling with silent laughter.

"That's not true," I say, waving him off. He just smiles even more.

"And by the looks of it, you're pretty smitten with him too," he says, somewhat singsongy. I roll my eyes.

"I can't believe you two," I say, even though a small part of me desperately wants to. Longing to believe in the small chance that Kaoru might, just might, have feelings for me. But I push it away. He would deserve someone better than me.

* * *

**I'm sorry that was so short. I really wish it could've been longer, but I promise you, the next one will be, since it's going to be the beach chapter and A LOT will hopefully happen.  
**

**Also- I'm thinking about adding another female character to the list. She would probably befriend Haruhi and Sayomi. So, if any of you would like to create a female OC, I just need**

**Name:**

**Appearance:**

**Special traits:**

**Personality:**

**Backstory:**

**Anything else you'd like to add:**

**Just PM me these. I can only have one, maybe two. If I get any more than that(I probably won't), I'll just pick the one or two I think can fit best into the story. Please submit one, I'm not as creative as I am attempting to appear.**

**Thanks for reading my compadres,**

**the-sarcastic-cynic**

**PS: If any of you have read my other story "The Tale of The Mizzies, the Dauntles…" I will be working on it again. If you haven't, its a crossover between Les Miserables, Divergent, and Harry Potter, like a take-characters-and-thrust-them-into-your-own-world-with-a-script-format type of thing.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! Sorry about the long wait. My parents changed the password to the parental controls, and this website got blocked :( but I figured out the password :D I also added a cover photo. I'm not sure if it's appearing, but it's my own drawing (just fyi and b/c I'm uber-proud).**

**Kudos to Cookie-chan99 for sending in an amazballs OC! Love ya!**

* * *

I dug my feet into the warm sand, falling softly onto my back as I look up into the blue sky. I have to admit, I'm not a fair weather person, but I love the heat of the sun on my body. A shadow blocks the rays. I sit up and turn to see Tamaki standing behind me, holding a bag.

"Our guests will be here any minute. Please put on the swimsuit in here. The twins' mother designed it, so I'm sure you'll look gorgeous!" he says cheerily as I gingerly take the bag from him.

"Thanks Tamaki-senpai," I say as I head towards the bathrooms.

* * *

It wasn't as slutty as I thought it would be. A black bandeau top piece with a red tribal dragon top piece, and a red boy-short style bottom with a black tribal design. I folded the jeans and shirt I came here in, shuffled my flip-flops back on, and headed back into the sun. Some of the girls had arrived, and were talking with Mori, Haruhi, and Honey. Haruhi waved me over.

"Hey, Kyoya wants you to set up by the rocks over there. He says you're free to take a couple of swim breaks if you want, too," I nodded.

"Thanks." I got an idea. "You should come swimming when I take a break," I say with a mischievous grin. Haruhi gives me an annoyed look as the girls agree.

"Yeah Haru-chan, come swimming with us!" Honey says excitedly putting on his puppy-eyes. The girls fawn over him. Haruhi looks at me frustratedly as I walk away.

"You know I can't go swimming!" she hisses at me. I smirk.

"Just leave your shirt on. Say you don't want to get sunburnt," I say, and head over to grab my guitar. Acoustic set today. Not any of the boring classical shit I've been playing for the past month. I haul the case over towards the rocks I assume Kyoya was talking about. Nice view. I place my case on a safe-looking, dry boulder, and pull the guitar out. It's the older of the two acoustics I have, worn, but not yet broken. I randomly pluck strings, just trying to warm up my fingers, creating little melodies. Some of the girls came over with the twins.

"Any requests?" I ask them. They debate among themselves over what they want to hear.

"How about a love song?" a brunette with a pink bikini says. Noises of assent follow her suggestion, so I rack my memory for something they won't hate. A song pops into my mind.

"Ok, this is called Love Don't Die. It was written by my brother," I add quitely. He wrote it for this girl, but she left him. He was heartbroken. I start plucking the riff stiffly. I haven't played this song in a while.

_If there is one thing that's true_

_It ain't what you say, it's what you do_

_And you don't say much, yeah, that's true_

_But I listen when you do_

_A thousand years go by,_

_But love don't die_

I fall quickly into rhythm, as I repeat the verse part again. Then, my favorite part. I belt out the chorus, giving the music full reign of my body, and the girls start to clap along, and squeal as Kaoru and Hikaru put on their little twincest act. Kaoru glances at me for a second, and winks so fast I'm not sure it even happened. I can feel my cheeks start to heat up, but I stifle it quickly, and play through the rest of the song. They all clap afterwards, as Tamaki and his posse of customers walks over. They want to hear a slow song.

"Anything for my beautiful princesses, right Sayomi?" he says. I force a smile onto my face, and reluctantly decide to play a song I think they'll know. I hate slow, sappy love songs. Just reminding me of what I'll probably never have. I start to strum the chords to "Collide", and I can tell they recognize it. Sitting on those rocks, with the breeze in my hair, playing for people, it all felt like a dream. I loved it, even though it was painful to sing. I watched the boys whispering sweet nothings to the blushing girls, giggling to each other.

After I finished, there was another round of applause. I smiled and shrugged. I don't take compliments too well.

"Kaoru, don't you play guitar? You should perform for us!" one girl, I think her name is Mai, says. Kaoru tries to politely say no, but the pressure from the girls forces him up. I try not to look to amused as I hand him my guitar.

"Shut up, Sayo," he says mock-seriously.

"Give'em what they want, it'll all be over soon," I say. "And you better not break my guitar."

"Alright, alright," he says. "I guess I'll just play something that I wrote a few days ago. I met a girl recently, and she's been on my mind ever since," he says. I can feel my heart fall through my stomach. He likes someone. Someone who probably isn't me. I try to keep my face passive as I watch him strum.

_Well, I've never been a man of many words_

_And there's nothing I can say that you haven't heard_

_But I'll sing you love songs 'till the day I die_

_The way I'm feelin'_

_I can't keep it inside_

_I'll sing a sweet serenade whenever you're feelin' sad_

_And a lullaby each night before you go to bed_

_I'll sing to you for the rest of your life_

_The way I'm feelin'_

_I can't keep it inside_

_No, I can't keep it inside_

The girls squeal and clap when he finishes. He smiles and waves at them, handing the guitar back to me. "That was really good, Kaoru. You have a really nice voice," I say, trying not to lose my shit then and there. He blushes, and awkwardly scratches the back of his head, smiling.

"Thanks, Sayomi," he replies. He opens his mouth like he's going to say something, but then shuts it and turns to head down to the rocks. I almost call out after him, but then think better of it.

"Anyone up for beach volleyball? Come on, Sayomi, you can be on my team!" Hikaru calls out. I smile.

"And whose butt will we be kicking?" I ask, stepping down from the rocks. Hikaru looks deilishly at Kaoru, who pouts at him.

"Hikaru! Fine, I want Mai on my team," he says, giving a sappy look to the girl standing next to him, who blushes and turns away. We organize teams from there, and start the match. I have to give these prep school girls credit, they known their game. Kaoru and Hikaru manage to keep up the twincest act during the game, chasing after the ball when it bounces away. Eventually, I head back to the rocks, and start playing again for some of the girls that have gathered there. Kaoru hikes up to join me.

"Don't you have some ditz to entertain?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"Not currently. What kind of music do you actually like to play?" he asks me. I shrug.

"I'm kind of a punk rock girl. Some metal, some pop too," I reply. He laughs.

"Figured. You seemed like a punk. Do you like Seether?" he asks me. I pick my head up.

"Do you?" I ask. He nods. "No way, me too!" I say in total surprise. He shrugs.

"Most people don't count me as a rock person, but I do like music played on actual instruments," he says.

"Yeah, gotta agree with you there. My mother always told me that if you couldn't cover it on guitar or piano, it wasn't worth listening to," I say. He nods.

"I think I would've liked your mother. What happened to her?" he asks. It's an innocent question, but I instantly turn him down.

"I'd rather not say," I reply, looking at my feet.

"Why not?" he says. I can feel his eyes on me. "Your birds. They represent your mom… and your brother?" he asks me. I nod.

"Yeah. Wallcreepers are supposed to be independent, and that's what they always wanted me to be. Free," I say. Kaoru nods. I look at him.

"Wait, how'd you know my brother was…?" I ask him. He looked at me.

"It's just they way you mentioned him. Like you were remembering him," he says. I bite my lip instinctively. Kaoru stands.

"You wanna swim, Sayomi? I think Haruhi's in the water," he says. I stand with him.

"Sure," I say, and we head down the rocks, splashing into the cool ocean water. We play around with Haruhi, Honey, Mori, and the other girls for a while. Eventually the boys start a bet to see who can figure out Haruhi's fear first. I doubt they'll get it, but who knows? We end up going into the caves, where the twins decide to pull the ghost trick on her, but that didn't work. I couldn't believe I was actually having fun. The girls seemed pretty accepting of me, even complimenting my swimsuit. I even caught Kaoru full out staring at me, which made me pretty happy. But he likes someone else. I shouldn't be happy about that.

* * *

"Our guests are quite pleased with your skill, Sayomi. I hope you'll continue to play for us," says Kyoya. It's coming close to the end of the day, and I'm just packing up.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" I ask. I know he still has the gang shit on me. He nods, confirming my thoughts.

"I would be fine letting you go, but if you did something to upset any of us, now, that would be different," he says, adjusting his glasses. Huh. Guess we're not friends. He strolls away from me, writing away in his little notebook. Someday I'm going to have to steal it. I'm curious to know what secrets Mr. VP keeps.

I hear a scream from down the beach. I turn to see a figure falling from the cliff. A figure in a baggy shirt and shorts. Haruhi.

I drop my stuff and immediately start to sprint to the cliff, my legs pumping, but slow down as I see that Tamaki has dove into the water to get her. There's a fight on the cliff, with some girls watching. I wonder what happened?

Tamaki carries a shivering Haruhi out of the water, his usual cheery expression replaced by a severe demeanor. I wrap a towel around her shoulders as he sets her down. Tamaki wipes his bangs out of his face.

"What were you thinking, Haruhi?" he asks softly, then whips his head up. "You could've gotten killed! Why would you challenge them? You had no chance!"

"I couldn't just do nothing, Tamaki-senpai! Those girls were in tr-"

"What about YOU? Don't you even care?" he exclaims, panting. Haruhi stands straighter.

"I'm not weak, Tamaki," she retorts harshly. He growls in frustration, tearing at his hair, and stomps away. We look after him, then at Haruhi. She gives us a questioning look. "What? He's being too overprotective!"

"Actually," Kaoru began.

"He kinda had a point," finished Hikaru, who I notice has a hint of the same tone that Tamaki had when he was yelling at Haruhi. Hm.

"Yeah, Haru-chan, we were all pretty worried about you, especially Tama-chan," says Honey. Mori nods in agreement.

"What was I supposed to do, just let them be attacked?" Haruhi defends. I shrug.

"Maybe consider learning a little self-defense for the future wouldn't hurt," I say. She sighs.

"Fine. But I'm not apologizing to him," she says, and we head to the house.

* * *

Or mansion rather. The place was huge! One of the maids showed me to my room, which was the size of my apartment. I dump my guitar and bag on the ground, and flop down in the bed. It was so comfortable! The only times I get to sleep on a mattress is when my dad… uses me. Which reminds me of the shit I'm going to face when I get home. I push those thoughts away, and head into the shower. Might as well take advantage of the hot water.

As I brush my hair out in front of the mirror, there's a knock at me door. I walk over and open it up. Kaoru is standing there… staring at me.

"Earth to Kaoru?" I wave my hand in front of his face until he snaps out of his trance.

"Sorry," he says, blushing. "I've just never seen you wear something like that voluntarily." He must be referring to the long, black, gypsy-like skirt I'm wearing. I shrug.

"I thought I should look nice. I used to have to wear it all the time," I say, and realize what I've said. That was an old yakuza rule. Lucky for me, he doesn't ask.

"I-It looks nice on you," he says, smiling. I start to blush.

"Thanks. Anyways, why're you here?" I ask him.

"Oh, Kyoya just wanted me to lead you down to dinner when you're ready," he says.

"I just gotta finish my hair, and then I'm done," I say, waving him in as I head into the bathroom. He sits down on the toilet seat. "So, I didn't know you sang," I say, anxious to avoid a tense silence.

"Oh, yeah. It's not exactly something I like to broadcast," he replies, smiling. I shrug and flip my hair upside-down, organizing it into a ponytail.

"You should do more. You're pretty talented. And with your family's prestige, you'd probably go places," I say, flipping myself up again and finishing the ponytail. He laughs and shakes his head.

"Nah, I couldn't handle it. Besides, it would probably take me away from my family and friends, and I couldn't take that," he says, and stands and looks at me. "But you could. I can tell you love it. You look so at home performing," he says.

"I don't have the means. No one's going to notice a street bum like me," I reply. It's true, I would love to perform, but I just don't see it happening. I take one last look in the mirror. Oh well. It's as good as I'm ever going to look.

"I've noticed you," I swear I hear him whisper, but I ignore it.

"Let's go," I say, turning to head out.

"Sayomi!" he suddenly blurts. I turn to face him. He walked up to me, so my nose was only a few inches away from his neck. "I meant what I said. You really do look beautiful," he says quietly, and then continues down the hall. I trail behind him, a little smile bursting through my restraint.

* * *

**Kaoru POV**

Ten seconds of courage. She really is beautiful.

* * *

**Ok. I kinda wanted to go a bit further, but there really wasn't a point to since I got the point of the chapter across. Again, if anyone would like to submit an OC, I do have one other possible opening. Format is in previous chapter. Thanks for reading!**

**Song #1- Love Don't Die by The Fray**

**Song#2 (mentioned ****only)- Collide by Howie Day**

**Song#3- Can't Keep It Inside-Benedict Cumberbatch**


	8. Chapter 8

Hey! Sorry about the wait. Here's the next one! (I skip ahead a bit)

* * *

My mind is still reeling from that weekend a month ago. He called me beautiful. Twice. _Stop. He doesn't mean it. He's probably just playing you, and you're completely falling for it_. I sigh. It's probably true. It would certainly fit with his act. And from what I've heard, that seems to be a trend with them.

I lightly jog up the steps to the roof exit. It's the only place I can just get away from everyone, and not have to worry about people. Not to mention the view is wonderful. I haul myself through the hatch, gracefully hopping out. Checking out the roof, I see a head full of choppy, black-blue hair, and a pale body wearing a black shirt and baggy jeans. She's drawing something, and singing something I swear I've hea- No way.

"You like Nirvana?" I ask. She turns around and narrows her navy eyes at me.

"Yeah, what of it?" she says. I raise my eyebrows. I like her already.

"Just happy I've finally met someone here with good music taste. Can't meet anyone here who could tell Kurt Cobain from Axl Rose," I say. She gives me a light smirk.

"I like you. You're pretty cool for attending the academy of the rich and spoiled," she says. I shrug.

"I can assure you, I am neither rich nor spoiled," I say, going to sit next to her. "I'm Sayomi, but you can call me Sayo," She raises her eyebrows.

"You're the Red Bullet?" she asks.

"You know my fighting nickname?" I say.

"I had to… relocate. Fighting is my profession, I guess. Ayame Ryuu. Call me Mara," she says, offering her hand. I shake it.

"Guess we might be up against each other soon," I say. She laughs.

"Nah, no way I'd go up against you. From what I've heard, most people who fight you end up being carried out of the ring," she says.

"Not a lie. What are you drawing? Do you mind if I…" I ask. I like to respect people's boundaries. She nods, handing me her sketchbook.

"It's kind of my only passion. That, and cooking," she says. I look at her current work. It's a girl curled up, but she has wings, which are molting.

"You're amazing!" I exclaim. "I mean, I sketch a little, but this is some serious shit!" I say. She shrugs.

"Thanks. I won't deny it; that's kind of how I got in. Because of this," she says, gesturing to the notebook. I look through some more of the pictures. There's one that catches my eye; a girl who looks like her.

"Is this a self-portrait?" I ask. She shakes her head.

"Nah. I have a twin. Ai. She didn't make it into Ouran though," she says vaguely. Before I can ask her more, I hear the bell ring.

"Are you in 1-A?" She nods, and we both head down the hatch.

* * *

I lead her into our classroom, and over to where we sit. "Hey guys, this is Mara. She's just transferred," I say. The twins exchange looks.

"So she's a commoner?" Hikaru asks boredly. Before I can tell him off, Mara has lifted him by the collar of his shirt.

"Call me that again, you brat, and this 'commoner' is gonna make you regret it," she says, dropping him back down.

"Your ass must be jealous of the shit that comes out of your mouth," he mutters, rubbing his neck. Mara lunges at him, but Kaoru steps in.

"Hey. Leave him alone. Hikaru'll warm up to you eventually," he says, trying to hold her back. She gives him a sneer.

"Maybe I don't want him to. Stay away from me," she says, and plops down into the empty seat in front of mine. I slide behind her.

"Sorry about him. I forgot how he is around strangers. Ritsu!" I call out. He turns in his seat, looks at Mara, and gets that nervous look on his face.

"Mara, this is Ritsu; Ritsu, Mara," I gesture at them respectively.

"Hey, Ritsu," Mara says neutrally. Ritsu eventually chokes out a hello, and turns to the front again, his cheeks a bright tomato red. He really likes her, I can tell. "What's his deal?" Mara asks me.

"He's just not great around new people," I say. "There's Haruhi; you'll like her. Haruhi, come meet Mara!" I say as she walks in.

"Hi, I'm Haruhi Fujioka," she says, holding out her hand. Mara takes it, but gives her a weird look.

"Why are you dressed in the boys uniform if you're a-" I slam my hand over her mouth.

"It's a long story, but basically she has to pretend to be a boy in order to pay off a debt. Please don't tell," I say quickly before she wrenches my hand off her mouth. She shrugs.

"That's cool. Just curious," she says. We both sigh in relief, and turn to the front, where our teacher has already started the lesson.

"So, Ayame, Sayo and I have to go to the host club. You wanna hang out there?" Haruhi asks Mara as we walk down the hall. She wrinkles her nose.

"What's a 'host club'?" she asks.

"You'll see," I mutter. She's gonna hate it, I know it. I pull open the door. They're all there, getting ready for the traditional Japan theme.

"My little girl!" Tamaki rushes over and hugs Haruhi, whose face is graced with an annoyed look.

"Put me down, Tamaki-senpai," she says. He immediately complies.

"And who is this lovely princess," he asks Mara, taking her hand and putting on his "prince act".

"Someone who doesn't take this faux romantic bullshit from some French douche," she says, whipping her hand away from him. He immediately goes to sulk in the corner.

"Sayomi, Haruhi," I hear two familiar voice say. I turn to see the twins holding out folded kimonos. "Here are your costumes,"

"Sayomi, this is yours. You know how to do the hair and makeup?" Hikaru asks me, holding out the outfit. I grimace. I had forgotten about how much work would go into this.

"Yeah, I got all that shit with me," I say, taking the kimono and heading over to the changing room. Haruhi will figure out what to do with Mara.

I quickly strip down, ignoring the aches and pains from my body that tell me I should go slower. My father's been getting rougher. The fresh bruises are a reminder of what awaits me every night. I'm not sure how much more I can take, but Hiroki can't take me in, Ritsu's mother wouldn't have me in her house, and I can't be a burden to my friends. Entangling myself in the kimono like the video showed me, I start on my hair, which has to be brushed out, twisted and plaited into an elaborate bun, and then I have to stick flowers in it. Ew. Once I finish that, I plaster white foundation onto my already pale skin, do some fancy eyeliner, and finish with painting my lips red. I take a deep breath before coming out. "Here goes nothing," I mutter under my breath, and I step into the room.

"Wow, Sayo-chan, you look really pretty," says Honey. Mori simply nods.

"Thanks, Honey-senpai. We're outside, right?" I ask him. He nods, so I head down to the gardens.

* * *

Some of the guests have already arrived, and are talking with the boys. Mara looks helplessly bored as she sits with Haruhi, but gets up when she sees me.

"You forgot to tell me all these people are lousy posers," she hisses as we walk towards the center of the garden. I sit down on the blanket with the_ koto_ on it. "You know how to play a _koto_?" she asks me skeptically.

"They made me learn. It's not really that difficult, if you already have musical experience," I reply absentmindedly. It was actually kind of fun to learn. I put on the finger picks as she flopped onto her back, and start playing. Just folks songs for today. Nothing challenging.

The chatter and giggling of girls continues to rise and drop. Prattling on about stupid things, like teacups and dresses. I almost pity the boys. They must get so frustrated having to listen to this shallow bullshit. Mara and I just sit in silence, except for the _koto_, which is quickly becoming a new favorite of mine. It's like guitar, but you can do so much more with it.

Before I know it, the day has ended, and the last guests are leaving. My fingers are practically dead.

"You look tired," Mara says, almost amused.

"My fingers are shit," I say, pulling the plectrums off my swollen digits. I clean up my area, folding the blanket, picking up the _koto_ along with it, and head towards the school building.

"Hey, Sayo, Mara," the twins say, joining us in. Mara rolls her eyes, clearly disgusted.

"Ah, the little incestuous pricks. Care to fuck off?" she snaps at them. They simply grin mischievously.

"Thanks, but no thanks," says Hikaru.

"Can't keep us away from our little Sayomi," says Kaoru, slinging an arm around me. I blush, which Hikaru notices and he frowns. I choose to ignore that.

"Well, I'm done with you pompous dicks. See ya, Sayo," she says, and strides away.

"Geez, what's her problem? We try to give her a warm welcome, and this is our thanks?" Hikaru says. Kaoru shrugs.

"I get where she's coming from. It is kind of a ridiculous act," he replies. Hikaru looks up.

"Sayo, I almost forgot to tell you. The host club is planning a summer formal dance," he says. I raise my eyebrows and sigh.

"What do you want me to play?" I ask tiredly. It's getting kind of boring having to repeat the same stuff over and over again. Kaoru glances to the side.

"That's the thing…" he says.

"Tamaki wants you to attend as a full Host Club member. So we'll be hiring professional musicians instead," he says. I shake my head.

"Yeah. I don't dance," I say.

"We can teach you," Hikaru says, with that mischievous glint in his amber eyes. This is gonna end well.

* * *

I tiptoe through the doorway, slide off my sneakers and throw my bag on the chair. Suddenly, I'm on the floor and my head is throbbing.

"Where the hell were you?" my father screams, a broken beer bottle in his hand.

"At school. Per usual," I snap back. Bad decision. He kicks me into the cabinets. That was new.

"I'm sick of this shit. Leaving me on weekends and during the day." He picks me up by the collar and props me on my feets, only to take another swing at me. I try to defend myself, but my efforts are futile as I feel the glass slice into my side. I can't focus anymore, only try to endure the beating. Eventually he drags me to his room, sliding off my clothes, and forcefully taking advantage of me for what feels like forever, beating me through the process. Eventually, he passes out. I can barely think. Not police. I'm in a gang. But I'm dying. Bleeding. _My phone_. I slide onto the floor, and the impact causes pain to reverberate through my body. My shaking hands pull my phone out of my pocket, and I quickly speed dial the first person I can think of.

"Hello? Sayo?" Kaoru answers in a confused tone. I'm trying not to cry.

"Kaoru." My voice cracks "I-I need y-you here. C-come quick. It h-h-urts. N-no h-hospital," I choke out, my mind reeling from the pain in my body.

"Sayo, I'm coming. Hikaru! Get the chauffeur! It's ok, Sayo, I'll be there soon, don't hang up," I nod, not realizing he can't hear that. I continue to whimper, and his strained voice carries me through. "I'm here, I'm outside, I'm coming in," My eyes are starting to drift shut as feet enter the room. I instinctively cower away, but I feel hands cover me in an oversized jacket, pick me up and cradle me towards a warm, firm chest. "I'm here, Sayo, you're safe, it's ok," Kaoru's voice is shaking as I feel him carry me out. I cling onto his shirt, not wanting to let go. I feel safe with him, as my vision goes black.

* * *

Kaoru POV

Hikaru looks shocked as I walk out with Sayomi in my arms. She's out, but breathing. Still clinging to me. She's so small.

"Oh my…" Hikaru trails off, and hurries to open the door. I step in carefully, and keep her cradled to me. I can't process how I feel. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm scared to death I'm going to lose her.

"Kaoru. She's gonna be ok. She's still breathing, alright?" Hikaru says, snapping me out of my thoughts. I nod. She's going to be fine. She has to make it.

* * *

Sayomi POV

I wake up on something soft. That's the first weird thing. It also smells nice and clean. No. 2. And I'm wearing only a big sweatshirt and briefs. Numero tres. Wait. Someone's in here. I tense my hands, but my arm disagrees, sending waves of pain through my body, and I relax. They're talking.

"You can't go. I couldn't live with myself. Ever since that first day, I've liked you. I've liked you a lot," I open my eyes. Kaoru is sitting next to the bed I'm in. "Sayo! You're awake! How do you feel?" I rub my eyes with my hands, try to prop myself up, and ultimately flop back on the bed. "Here," Kaoru gently holds underneath my armpits, and helps me sit up. I'm in a clean, white room, with light streaming in from a window. Then I remember. My dad. The bottle. The pain. I start crying. I whine, and sob, and I probably sound like a dying animal but I can't hold it in anymore. I feel Kaoru pull me into his lap and wrap his arms around me, but it's nice. I feel safer with him, as much as I don't want to admit it. But I will. I really like him. There.

"Shh, it's ok," he whispers. I wipe my eyes, and try to smile, but my face isn't working right.

"I'm ok, I'm ok," I say, but I'm still leaning against his chest. "Kaoru?" I ask, turning my stiff head to face him.

"Yes?" he replies.

"W-were you talking about me? While I was asleep?" I ask him. He blushes.

"...Yeah," he says looking down. I bite my lip.

"I really like you too," I say quietly. He looks down at me in surprise, and simply kisses the top of my head. I lean into his shoulder.

"Sayo, why didn't you tell us about your father?" he asks. Not in a demanding way, but softly.

"I couldn't do anything about it. I can't be a burden to any of you," I say. Kaoru takes my hand and strokes the side of my thumb with his, the way my mother used to.

"You'll never be a burden to any of us. You're one of us now," he says, and kisses my temple. I nuzzle into his shoulder, trying to rest again.

"Kaoru?"

"Hm?"

"Stay with me? Until I fall asleep again?"

"Of course," he says, and I let my tiredness take over.

* * *

I wake up later. It's about midday (the same day), and Kaoru is still with me. Oh yeah, it's a weekend. I try to sit up, and find that, with some difficulty and quite a bit of pain, I can sit up. I feel Kaoru stir behind me, and realize what I'm trying to do.

"Here, let me help you stand up," he says, wrapping an arm underneath my armpits. I rise up, and can feel my legs shaking. I walk over to the mirror in the corner, and gasp at my reflection. I had never taken much pride in my appearance, but this was…

I had a black eye, and a long scratch that trace half my face. Splotchy bruises and long cuts littered my body, and then I realized that my torso was bandaged. I lift the sweatshirt (with some degree of pain). One long, bloody, streak that starts at my armpit and ends at my bellybutton marrs the pure white of the bandage.

"The cut was deep. They think you'll have a permanent scar," Kaoru says gently. I drop the shirt, letting it fall back over my body. I look down.

"I'm so weak," I whisper. "This was my fault,"

"It was not!" I look up at Kaoru, who just yelled. "It wasn't, Sayo."

"I could've defended myself! I should've been better!" I say, covering my eyes with my hands. I should've fought back. Kaoru's arms wrap around me, and he pulls me into his chest, cradling my head in his shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Sayo. He was drunk. He's a bastard," I feel him tense. "You have us now. I'll keep you safe, I swear," he says. We stand like that for a bit, but he releases me.

"Hikaru gathered some of your clothes. If you'd like to change," he says. I nod, and he gestures to a bag full of stuff. I pick out basics, and put them on the bed. Kaoru makes to leave.

"Wait." He turns towards me. "Can you stay? I just… might need help," I say. I don't want to be alone. He nods, and faces the wall.

"This ok?"

"Yup," I say, and take off the sweatshirt. I try to put a bra on, but I can't work my arms back far enough to close the clasp without them burning. I sigh; this was going to be humiliating.

"Kaoru? Can you… umm… help?" I ask nervously, turning so my back was facing him. He turns around and I think I can hear him blush.

"Yeah, yeah plot twist girls wear bras now come help me!" I say, holding the bra against my chest. I feel him take the two straps and link them together. Wrapping an arm around my stomach, I grab the shirt I was previously wearing. It still smelled of Kaoru. I pull it over my head, and Kaoru helps my arms into the sleeves. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, I turn to him.

"Alright. How's my hair?" It had been freed from it's ponytail, so it was probably a mess by now. Kaoru just laughed a little and shook his head.

"You look beautiful," he says, and pulls out his phone. It must've vibrated.

"The gang's here. You feel up to seeing them?" he asks me. I hesitate, then nod. Kaoru shows me out, keeping an arm around my waist. Wow. This house is huge! It's so ornate and fancy, I feel bad for even entering. We come to a long set of stairs leading down.

"You think you can head down ok?" Kaoru asks me. I nod, determined to do something on my own. I start going down, but my knees buckle beneath me, and Kaoru grabs my waist.

"Yup, I'm gonna carry you, ya klutz," he says. A ghost of a smile appears on my face as he gently scoops me up. I lean into his chest as we walk down, and enter a room that reminds me of Music Room 3. The Host Club is awaiting, all of them with grim looks on their faces. Tamaki jumps up when he sees me.

"Sayomi! How could you not tell us what was going on and now you're hurt and-" I balk away at the sudden noise, curling towards Kaoru. Hikaru clamps a hand on Tamaki's mouth.

"Shut up; she's just been attacked. Give her some peace, would you?" he says, and returns to Haruhi's side.

"Sayomi, are you ok?" she asks. She knows when not to bother me.

"Yeah, I'm ok," I say. Not really, but might as well give her some peace of mind. I slide out of Kaoru's arms, and walk over to sit next to her. Kaoru sits next to me.

"Well, might as well get rid of the elephant in the room. I didn't want to be a burden. If I told you, you would've wanted to help me. I couldn't have repaid you," I say, looking down.

"Sayo-chan, we're your friends. That's what friends are for," says Honey. Mori nods in agreement. I notice then that his normal facade looked more haggard and stressed.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble. I'll find somewhere to stay soon," I lie.

"No, you're staying with us. Welcome home, sis," says Hikaru.

"Bu-"

"Nope, it's decided. We'll get your things soon," Hikaru says. Tamaki clasps his hands together.

"Ah, yes! Happiness at last!" he says singsongly. Haruhi elbows him in the stomach, noticing how I flinched.

"Tamaki, it would be wise to avoid sudden or loud noises around Miss Ikeda," Kyoya scolds. "Sayomi, I have arranged for the best doctors to aid your recovery. Don't fret about expenses, they're well taken care of," he says

"Thank you, Kyoya-senpai," We talk for a bit more, but it's obvious that I'm getting tired to Kaoru (though I try to hide it) and he dismisses everyone. While they say goodbyes, I pull Honey over.

"Hey, why does Mori-senpai look so frazzled?" I ask him. He looks up at me.

"Well, he thinks of you and Haruhi like his sisters. He feels obliged to protect you, and he doesn't like that you've been hurt. It frustrates him," he says simply. And, speak of the devil, here he is.

"Mitsukuni, we must go," he says. Honey runs off after telling him that he had to go to the bathroom.

"Mori-senpai, please don't worry," He looks at me in surprise. "I'm tough, ok?" A crooked smile crosses his face.

"Take care of yourself," he says, and walks away. Kaoru walks up to me, and he carries me up the stairs, and back to my room, where I sink into the sheets, and cuddle up next to him. This is safety. This is happy

* * *

Wow. I would've split that into 2 chapters, but I'm going away for about a week and probably won't be able to update during that time period. It's finally going to get interesting soon :)

Stay cool,

the-sarcastic-cynic


	9. Chapter 9

Hey. Was in Disney. Attempted to find Peter Pan for about three hours on my last day there, and then found out he was "done for the day". Tears of frustration were shed. Thanks to everyone who has followed/favorited! Anyways, here's the next chapter!

* * *

I've been out for a couple days now. The twins have been incredibly generous, letting me stay with them. They even went around to get my things for me, since I didn't think I could go back there. I can't risk seeing him again. I'm too weak. Too afraid.

My body is marred. Yellow-blue splotches coat my body, with little cuts scattered through them. The one on my face refuses to disappear, a constant reminder that I'm frail. The one long cut I have has scabbed over. It's hideous, standing in front of a mirror. I'm completely broken.

I don't know where I am with Kaoru. I do like him, but I don't want to get myself into a relationship so soon. Besides, I'm not good enough for him. I can barely interact with other people. And I cling to him like he's holding me up. I'm too much of a burden.

I slide the baggy sweater over my head. It was one of Satochi's. He desperately wanted to study in America, at this place called Berklee. Hence the name on the sweatshirt. I fix my hair into a braid that falls down my back, and head downstairs into their den, which looks more like a furniture store to me. Kaoru and Hikaru are there, watching some show. They've elected to stay home with me, since their parents have been away on business this whole time.

"Hey, Sayo," Kaoru says, turning to me with a gentle smile. I go to sit next to him, bundling my knees to my chest.

"Sayomi, I know you probably don't want to think about it now, but, if you still want to go to the dance next week, we're going to find you a dress," says Hikaru.

"I think I'll go," I say. I owe the club that. Being present at their events, after all they've done for me.

"Are you sure? You don't have to if you don't want to," Kaoru says, giving me a concerned look. I force a smile and brush him off.

"Nah, it'll be funny to see Tamaki try to dance with Haruhi. That, I can't miss," I say. Hikaru nods, giving me an evil smirk.

"Alright then. I think we can find something for you," he says. I gulp. I hate shopping. A doorbell rings, which surprises me, and I flinch. Kaoru puts his arm around me and rubs my shoulder. Hikaru stands up, and I catch a tense look on his face. "I'll see who it is," he says, stalking out of the room.

"What's wrong with him?" I ask. Kaoru shrugs.

"I guess it's just having you here. Hikaru likes to be in the spotlight, and he tends to get jealous," Kaoru admits. I look at him seriously.

"I'm not going to stay if you don't want me here," I say. I want to, but it's not worth ruining someone else's time. Kaoru shakes his head.

"You're staying with us," he says as I hear a commotion.

"She's my cousin!"

"Let me just as-" Ritsu bursts into the room, with Mara right behind him, her long hair loose, and Hikaru running after them. I get up and run over to him. He pulls me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Omi, why wouldn't you tell me this was happening? You scared me," he says softly into my ear. I feel a drop land on my shoulder.

"You couldn't do anything about it. I thought I had myself covered. I'm ok now, Ritsu. The Hitachiins are taking me in. I'm safe here," I reassure him. He narrows his eyes.

"I don't like how that sounds," he says, crossing his arms.

"Your family won't have me. Where else will I go?" I say, giving him a look. He sighs angrily in defeat, and, shaking his head, marches over to Kaoru and grabs him by his shirt collar.

"I swear to God, if you hurt my cousin in any way, shape or form, I will cut your lifespan in half and make the rest of it hell. You'd better take damn good care of her," he says, before Mara goes over.

"Ritsu," she says, tugging his arm. He looks down at her, and they have some silent communication. I tilt my head. What happened to those two? Mara comes over to me gently grips both my shoulders. I resist the urge to balk away.

"I know how it is, Sayo. You're strong. You'll get back on your feet, and show the world that no worthless sonofabitch can stop you," she says with a crooked sort of smile, and pulls me into a hug. "Don't let these little devils ruin your life either," she whispers in my ear, and releases me. We say our goodbyes, since they have to return for the second half of the school day, and I sat back down on the couch. Hikaru rolled his eyes.

"God, what's Ritsu's problem? Shouldn't he be happy we've taken you in?" he says. Kaoru shoots a glare at his brother. I shrug.

"He's kind of been my guardian ever since Mom and my brother Satochi died. His parents don't like my family, but we've always been close. He kept me from spiraling downward, and I guess now he feels obliged to protect me," I say. Kaoru nods thoughtfully.

"Huh. I can understand that. You do seem to get yourself into trouble," he teases. Which reminds me…

"I'm going to pay you rent as soon as I can get back to fighting again," I say. Kaoru immediately shakes his head.

"No way. I'm not letting you in that ring again," he says. I feel anger boil in me, but I hold myself back. They're taking me in. I have to be grateful.

"I have to pay you back somehow!" I say. Hikaru lights up, and looks at Kaoru.

"Mom has been…" he starts.

"But will she want to?" Kaoru argues. I give them a look.

"...What twin-telepathy thing am I missing here?" I ask. They get mischievous smiles.

"You could be a live mannequin for us," they say in unison.

"Our mother and we love to design on living people, but it's expensive to hire models," Hikaru says. I nod. I hate dress-up, but I owe them big-time.

"Ok," I say. We spend the rest of the day talking about little things, trying to forget what's happened. And for a while, it works. I won't admit it, but I feel good for the first time in forever. Fooling around with Kaoru and Hikaru (get your mind out of the gutter!) reminded me of being with Satochi and Mom, and how we used to just take days off to go to the local park and run around. But I always get pulled back to reality when it's time to take my pills, that I'm a weak failure with no discernable future. A basket case.

* * *

Kaoru and Hikaru walk me to my room, and hold on to me as we ascend the stairs. I can make it on my own, but it taxes my limbs pretty badly. They each hug me goodnight, and Kaoru pecks the top of my head. I flop down onto the mattress, ignoring the pain in my side. It's just too much fun to fall onto something soft not to. Sinking into the pillow, I close my eyes and face my dreams.

"_Get back here, bitch!" He's chasing after me. My legs churn as I stumble through the forest, tripping over roots and sticks. I have to get away. I have to run. My heart races at a million miles per hour. _

"_Sayomi! Sayo!" I hear her cry out._

"_Mom!" I scream back, trying to find her, but her voice is coming from all directions at once._

"_Omi, we need you! Come save us!" a deeper voice calls out._

"_Satochi! Where are you!" I screech as a hand latches onto the back of my shirt. I scream as I'm dragged backwards, trying to claw onto the ground, but it's suddenly smooth. I can hear his slurred speech, but can't out words as pain courses through my body, and my mother's and brother's voices cry out for help. I try to scream out to them, but I can't form words-_

"Sayo-chan. Sayomi." I wake up, clawing at the air, to see Kaoru and Hikaru at my sides, trying to restrain me, I'm guessing. I'm breathing heavily, and the onslaught of tear overwhelms me as I curl into a ball. I feel arms wrap around me, and I tense for a moment, but I let them rub up and down my back as another hand clasps mine and strokes the side of my thumb.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I sob quietly.

"Sshh. You're safe. We're here for you," I hear Hikaru whisper.

"He won't ever hurt you like that again, I promise," Kaoru whispers. I let their soothing embrace comfort me, as I fall back into the darkness again.

I wake back up to the sunlight streaming in from my window, and two arms wrapped around me. Kaoru and Hikaru were still on either side of me, leaning against my body. Kaoru's hand still enveloped mine. I take the moment to notice how big it is. It was rather big compared to mine. Then again, I've always been smaller. I also notice that both twins are shirtless. Kaoru's chest is toned, but not grossly muscled, like some of the guys I've fought. Nonetheless, he's still very hot.

"Like what you see?" Kaoru whispers, and I force myself not to jump away. He sits up and stretches, giving me a better view. I blush, feeling stupid admiring him. He flops back down.

"Don't get a big head, Hitachiin," I say. "I'm sorry I woke you guys up. You could've just woken me up and left, you know," I say, wishing I wasn't such a pain in the ass.

"Well, you could've told us that earlier," I hear Hikaru mumble sleepily as he sits up and rubs his head. I smile a little, knowing he's kidding at least a little bit. He slides out of bed, and starts heading for the door.

"Guess we better get ready for school. I can't afford to miss too much," he says as he heads out. Kaoru looks at me.

"You sure you want to go today? I'm sure another day of rest wouldn't hurt you too badly," he says, clearly concerned, but I wave it off as I stand up stiffly.

"Nah. I'll be ok," I say. I hope that's true.

* * *

We're standing at the gates as I hear the car taking off. I take a deep breath before pushing them open and walking in. I stick with Kaoru and Hikaru, as I hear the students whispering when I walk by.

"She's back!"

"What do you think happened?"

"She was probably arrested, the stupid commoner. Just look at her hideous face. She must've been in a fight," some smartass says. I just take the comment. He's right. I can feel Hikaru tense, and Kaoru balls his hands into fists. I pull them along before either of them can make a move.

"They were insulting you!" they both exclaim as I drag them along. I shake my head.

"Not worth getting into a fight for. Besides, he wasn't lying," I say. Kaoru's about to respond, but Haruhi interrupts him.

"Hey guys. I hope you're feeling better, Sayo. I took notes for you guys, and I have your assignments too," she says. I smile.

"You're the best, Haruhi. And yeah, I'm better than before," I say. She smiles back at me.

"That's good. Anyways, my dad wants you to stop by so he can check up on you," she says. I nod happily. Ranka and I are pretty tight. We're pretty similar, and he counts me as his "honorary daughter".

"Yeah, I haven't seen him in forever. It'll be nice to catch up," I say, and then the bell rings. We start walking to class, trying to avoid all the stupid people throwing questions at me like they're rotten fruit and I'm Taylor Swift.

"Where were you?"

"What happened to your face?"

"Why'd you keep the twins away, you hogging bitch?" some girl screams. I grip onto Kaoru before he can make a move, squeezing his hand to let him know I need him next to me. I won't make it through anything without him.

"Why don't you just leave her alone?" I hear Ritsu's rough voice echo across the room, which falls silent in shock. He almost never talks to the rest of the class. The girl simply turns in the other direction

"Fine. Whore can have them all to herself," she mutters, but I still hear it. I leap over some poor guy's desk, whip the bitch around, and grab her by the collar of her dress. All this makes pain storm through my body, but I ignore it. I'm done grieving for myself.

"You want to know how I got to be this way? No, shut your fat mouth. I got attacked. I was raped. And you know? I could probably arrange for-" Kaoru slaps my hands away, and the girl turn and sits back down as her little posse of bitches fretted over her. "What the hell, Kaoru?" I question him as he drags me to my seat.

"She could press charges if you had completed that last comment. Do you want to end up in prison?" he says, sitting down and facing the front. I open my mouth to respond, but I realize that he's right. I couldn't defend myself like that if I wanted to stay unincarcerated.

"Sorry for that," I say. He gives me a small smile in return, as I face forward and turn to the teacher.

* * *

I slipped into Music Room 3 quietly. I doubted anyone would be there early, seeing as I had left Kaoru, Hikaru, and Haruhi in the classroom. I just wanted a few moments to mysel-

"Sayomi! I heard you were back!" I jump at the loud noise and see Tamaki emerging from one of the small adjoined rooms in his African-inspired outfit.

"Yup. I'm here," I say awkwardly. He softens a bit.

"I hope you're doing ok," he says, doing the whole "prince-face" thing. I decide to let it be.

"Well, the doctor says that I should be up for full physica-"

"That's not what I meant," he says, and reclines in one of the couches. "To a lesser degree than you, I know what it's like growing up with everything crumbling around you. My mother sent me away here, to live with my father. I'm a bastard child," he says looking down. "and that small fact still kills me every time I think about it. And I know you've had it much worse, so I want to make sure you're ok," he says, giving me a small smile. I shrug.

"I'm as fine as I'll ever be. It's just that now I'm really an orphan." The words were out of my mouth before I had even thought of them. I had never considered it like that before. "I don't have a family," I whispered. I could feel my throat tightening, and the tears leaking down my cheek. I wipe them away from my eyes.

"But that's not true," Tamaki stands in front of me. "We're your family now, Sayomi. I thought I had lost mine too, but Kyoya, and Honey, and Mori, and the Hitachiins, Haruhi. We're all your slightly-crazed family," he says. He goes in for a hug, but I back away. "Oh. I'm sorry," he says, scratching the back of his head.

"Nah, it's cool," I say, as Kyoya, Honey, and Mori walk in.

"Oh, Sayomi, I heard you were back. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, you haven't been breaking in my medical record?" I reply jokingly.

"Oh no, I already did that, but I still wanted to hear it from you," he says, the ghost of a smirk appearing on his face.

"Sayo-chan! Sayo-chan!" Honey runs to hug my waist, but I balk away. He gives me that puppy-eye look.

"I'm sorry Sayo-chan, I didn't mean to frighten you," he says. I shake my head.

"No, I'm happy to see you too, Honey-senpai, it's just that-" I can't finish the sentence, but Honey smiles and nods anyways.

"I understand, Sayo-chan, I'm just happy you're back," he says. Mori nods in agreement. I go to get changed into my costume. I get to play African drums today.

* * *

So yeah. Wanted that interaction with Tamaki. Next chapter'll hopefully be a little fluffier. If you have any suggestions as to how someone should be acting, or plot ideas, leave me a comment please. I won't hold chapters hostage, but they would be well appreciated. Thanks for staying this long!

the-sarcastic-cynic


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